Harry Potter and the Web of Prophecies
by BrunetteBella
Summary: Takes place directly after OotP ends. Harry is still mourning the death that has changed his life. When he hears about a second death, discovers that Voldemort is following him, finds out about his past, and discovers another prophecy what will happen?
1. Default Chapter

Harry Potter and the Web of Prophesies  
  
Chapter 1: *An Unhappy Birthday*  
  
In the midst of Privet Drive's carefully trimmed lawns and shiny new cars, a teenage boy with threadbare clothing and  
  
unkept black hair lay sprawled upon the ground in the backyard of Number 4. He stared up at the tree above him, its leaves  
  
drooping with the intense summer heat which had seemingly infiltrated every pore of his body. Sweat trickled down his  
  
forehead; how he would love to go inside to the air conditioned living room! But Harry Potter knew that the looks of  
  
horror from his Aunt, Uncle, and Dudley would be enough to drive him outside once again.  
  
Harry stared up at the tree again, watching as a slight breeze moved the leaves. Just as curtain had moved on that fateful  
  
day as Sirius had passed through it... He tried not to think of this, but it was too late. He clenched his eyes shut tight,  
  
but tears managed to squeeze through and ran down his face. Sirius... what he would give to have him here now... He had never  
  
thought it was possible for this many changes to occur, but they had. What he would give to talk to any of his friends,  
  
rather than being trapped in the prison that Number 4 Privet Drive had become...  
  
Of course, he had heard from many of them this summer. He wrote to Lupin nearly every day, keeping with his promise that he  
  
would be in communication with the Order every three days. His uncle made sure of this. Just this morning, over breakfast,  
  
he had demanded that Harry go to his room and write another.  
  
"I don't want those ruddy magicfolk in this house EVER AGAIN!! Do you understand me? So get up to your room right now and  
  
write a letter, but make sure your bird isn't seen by the neighbors!" Uncle Vernon thundered, while Petunia peered cautiously  
  
through the front curtains, making sure that no one was outside to see Hedwig carry the letter. Harry went, all too glad to  
  
have escaped the breakfast table, where Dudley was once again being forced to eat fruit, while eyeing the chocolate cake  
  
that was sitting on the countertop.  
  
After writing his letter, Harry had spent most of the day outside, trying to avoid any further contact with the Dursleys.  
  
When he finally returned for a supper in which no one spoke to him, it was well past sunset. He retreated quietly to his  
  
room.  
  
He threw himself halfheartedly down onto his bed, memories of Sirius once again filling his mind. I can't believe  
  
he's gone, he thought to himself, tears once again streaming down his face. If only I had thought that Voldemort  
  
would try to use me,if only Dumbledore had TOLD me earlier! Anger coursed through his blood. Why hadn't Dumbledore told  
  
him? It would have solved everything. But now, it was beyond fixing. Sirius was gone, forever. And he, Harry, was to take  
  
the weight of the world onto his shoulders? What if he didn't want to save everyone? What if he just wanted to be left alone?  
  
He punched his pillow, then collapsed upon it, sobbing. He could hear his Aunt and Uncle's whispered conversation, but he  
  
no longer cared. His sobs had carried downstairs to the parlor where they sat reading.  
  
"What's wrong with him Vernon, he hasn't eaten properly all summer!" Petunia whispered to her husband. He looked up from  
  
his newspaper and glanced her way.  
  
"Can't make the boy eat, " he grunted. "Just as long as those freaks don't come into my house again...I told you last year,  
  
we should have thrown him out." Petunia looked at her husband severely.  
  
"You know we can't do that." she snapped.  
  
"Really, I don't know why. You never told me what is going on, what happened last summer with that ruddy talking letter,"  
  
vernon replied, now dropping his newspaper.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," Petunia answered coldly, retreating to the kitchen.  
  
************  
  
Harry awoke to intense pain, filling his scar as though it would explode. After a few moments it subsided, and he glanced at  
  
his alarm clock. 12:15 AM. Great, he thought to himself. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember why his scar was hurting.  
  
Voldemort had been happy, he knew that. It had something to do with the prophesy... Harry sat suddenly upright in bed.  
  
He knew. Voldemort knew what the prophesy was. But how could he have possibly found out? Had he broken into Harry's own mind  
  
and discovered it?  
  
He HAD to tell Dumbledore immediately. Jumping out of bed, he rummaged through his desk looking for a spare piece of  
  
parchment. Finding one, he wrote a hurried letter to Dumbledore.  
  
Professor Dumbledore,  
  
I just woke up and my scar was hurting really bad. This time, the vision that I had was that Voldemort knows about the  
  
prophesy. I don't remember much else. Please tell me what is going on!  
  
-Harry  
  
He sent off Hedwig, and sat down onto his bed, panting. He couldn't believe it. With that knowledge, Voldemort could be at  
  
Number 4 Privet Drive any moment! He knew he was protected inside the house, but what if he went outside? He couldn't stay  
  
in the broom cupboard under the stairs forever. His fist tightened around his wand. I have to stand up to him, no matter  
  
what, he thought to himself. I can't lose this time. Dumbledore isn't here to save me. Maybe the Order of the  
  
Phoenix would be here soon, he reasoned. Of course, they must know about this development also, especially since he had  
  
just told Dumbledore!  
  
Harry glanced back at the clock. 1:00 AM. Why was it taking them so long? Didn't they realize that Voldemort could be  
  
standing outside at this very moment, waiting for the opportunity to attack Harry?  
  
Just then, Harry heard Hedwig knock at his window. He flew off of the bed and wrenched the glass open, allowing his owl  
  
inside. Tied to her leg was a letter; at first glance, Harry was relieved to see that he had gotten a reply. There was no  
  
possible way they could leave him here now, he thought triumphantly.  
  
As he removed the letter from Hedwig's leg, his mouth fell open in horror. Beneath the spindly handwriting on the envelope  
  
that said, "Harry Potter, Number 4 Privet Drive", was a green and black seal. The Dark Mark. With trembling hands, he  
  
hurriedly ripped open the letter and read:  
  
Dearest Harry,  
  
So sorry to inform you that Albus Dumbledore will not be responding to your letter.  
  
Sadly, he was killed in a Death Eater attack this morning at Hogwarts. I have the  
  
Pensieve, Potter. Of COURSE I know what the prophesy is. And rest assured, it will  
  
come true sooner than you may believe. Happy birthday Harry.  
  
Your truly,  
  
The Dark Lord  
  
Harry stared at the letter, then collapsed to the floor, his emotions, fears, and grief all converging upon him at once.  
  
He lay crumpled upon the floor moaning; tears would no longer come. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Werewolf's Visit**  
  
Remus Lupin stood in front of Number 4 Privet Drive, his dark brown eyes looking upwards toward the small windown on the second story. Something was wrong, he knew it. He had felt it, and he knew that, with Sirius and James gone, he must come to Harry's rescue. Looking around to make sure that he was not seen in the darkness, he disapparated and appeared in Harry's room.  
  
The loud "pop!" of Remus' apparation echoed in the otherwise silent room. He looked around and found Harry lying on his bed, face up, his eyes bloodshot and his breath coming in short gasps. Remus' eyes widened at the sight and he hurried to Harry's side.  
  
"Harry?? Harry, please, tell me what's wrong!" Remus cried, kneeling next to the bed. Harry attempted to sit up, but fell back exhausted onto the bed; he had been up all night, and as it was now nearing 5 AM, he could no longer move. Weakly, he held out a piece of parchment, his arm shaking. Remus seized the letter and read it swiftly, a look of disbelief in his eyes as his jaw dropped."Harry... this doesn't mean... what you think it means..." he stumbled over his words, trying to explain. Harry looked up at him, a tiny glimmer of hope in his eyes.  
  
"He isn't... he can't be?" With newfound energy, Harry sat up, his eyes open wide.  
  
"Well," started Remus. "Dumbledore is not dead, no, but he is barely alive. There was an attack earlier... But this letter... you think it's authentic? You really think it's from Voldemort?" Harry nodded weakly. "I believe you're right Harry, it looks as though it is real. But, Merlin, why would he send this to you??"  
  
Harry couldn't even answer. His heart seemed to have started pumping again, and his breathing was returning to normal; Dumbledore still was alive. Alive! All he wanted was more information about Dumbledore from Remus. His words began to tumble out. "But professor, what do you mean... barely? Will he make it? He's alive... he's not going to die right?" Remus sighed.  
  
"We really don't know for sure right now, Harry. Professor Dumbledore is at St. Mungo's right now, they are doing all they can. I can only assume that Voldemort sent you this hoping that you would do something extreme to injure yourself. And please," he said, a twinkle in his eye and a hint of a smile on his lips, "call me Remus. I am no longer your professor."  
  
"Of course, prof-Remus." Harry whispered. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve; after all that, he had come to feel foolish. Sure Dumbledore might be injured, but it wasn't as bad as he had thought; with Remus here, everything seemed to be better. "Thank you for coming," he said with a smile. "How did you know about the letter?" Remus frowned.  
  
"I didn't. I just had a feeling something was wrong. Plus, I figured that someone would have to tell you eventually about Dumbledore's condition, and it might as well be me." He gave Harry a sympathetic look. "I'm quite concerned about this letter, however... Any reason why it would be sent in the first place?"  
  
"Well," Harry started. "I sent Dumbledore a letter after my scar hurt early this morning. I knew that Voldemort knew about the prophesy." His voice dropped to a whisper. "He does, doesn't he? Did he really get the Pensieve?" Remus shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Well, yes, he did get the Pensieve. But the truth is, Harry... besides Dumbledore, you were the only other person to know exactly what the prophesy said. Of course, the Order knows that it exists, but for reasons of security, we were never told exactly what it said.." he trailed off, clearing his throat. "If a member of the Order were to be caught by Death Eaters, we would not want that kind of information to get into the wrong hands." Harry sighed. Even Remus could not understand that the weight of the world was upon his young shoulders. Remus looked at him and shook his head. "Harry, you look awful. Did you sleep at all tonight?"  
  
"Not really," he mumbled. Remus nodded.  
  
"Well, I don't think it will do you any good to stay here any longer this summer. After all, with Voldemort knowing about the prophesy and having Death Eaters intercept your mail, he must not be far away. I believe I shall take you with me tonight and we will leave a note for your aunt and uncle. Is that alright, Harry?" Remus asked with genuine concern in his eyes.  
  
Harry's heart sunk to his feet. Grimmauld Place, he thought to himself. Just more memories of Sirius... I don't know if I can take it... "Would we go to... you know..." he cleared his throat, not making eye contact with Remus.  
  
"Grimmauld Place? No, not at this hour. That bloody portrait will wake up the entire household," he shuddered. "Would you mind if we went to my house instead? It would be much more convenient." Harry's eyes lit up.  
  
"Sure! Just let me get my things together." He turned and began piling clothing, books, and homework into his cauldron.  
  
"All right then, I will write a quick note to your aunt and uncle and we'll be off," said Remus with a smile, leaving the room. Harry couldn't believe it. Remus had a house?!? How come he had never known? iI wonder why he always had to stay at Grimmauld Place last year,/i Harry thought frowning. He hadn't had any type of lodging then. Remus returned to the room. "We're going to use an unauthorized Portkey Harry, I don't know how else to get you out of here without having you do magic." Harry nodded, and laid his index finger on the teacup that Lupin was holding out to him. "Three...two...one..." and once again, Harry felt the sensation of being tugged forward and away from the broom cupboard of Number 4 Privet Drive. 


	3. Chapter 3


    **Chapter 3: Grief**
    The swirl of lights flew past Harry's face; traveling by Portkey is much better
    than by floo powder, he thought to himself. It's much cleaner this way.
    Just then, he landed suddenly, his trunk, cauldron, and Hedwig's cage falling
    out of his grasp and sprawling across the floor. Looking up from his messy
    landing, he surveyed the room he had appeared into. It was tiny, with two
    well-worn brown sofas and a bookshelf packed with books. The beige carpet
    under his feet was unextravagant, and yet soft and clean. He collapsed onto
    one of the sofas and found it comfortable; the whole room had a homey and
    accepting feel to it. Lupin strolled into the adjoining kitchen and pulled
    a teapot off of the stovetop.
    "Would you like a cup of tea, Harry?" Remus asked.
    "Yes, thank you," Harry replied politely, still taking in his surroundings.
    "I guess I, er, didn't know you had a house, Remus," he said. Remus smiled
    at this comment.
    "Well, really it isn't mine, Harry. I'm just renting it for a while. I had a
    bit of money I have picked up from some odd jobs over the summer, and thought
    I might as well get out of Grimmauld Place for a while. That old house holds
    too many memories," he said, handing Harry a cup of tea, his eyes full of
    sadness. Guiltily, Harry realized he had not considered how Remus would feel
    after Sirius' death. Of course he had taken it hard; they were the last
    Mauraderers left. Now Remus was on his own. Remus' voice interrupted his
    thoughts. "If you'd like to talk about anything that happened in the Department
    of Mysteries, Harry... not necessarially right now, but if you ever want to...
    I'll be here." Harry's expression grew unreadable.
    "I don't want to talk about it," he replied coldly.
    "We don't have to," Remus answered gently. Harry turned away, sipping his tea.
    He could feel the tears at the corners of his eyes, stinging and burning. He
    didn't understand how, after crying so much today, he still felt as though he
    could sob for hours. After a moment, he was able to control his emotions and
    turned back towards Remus.
    "Where am I staying?" He asked. "Maybe I could take my things up now?"
    "Right upstairs, follow me," Remus replied. Dragging his trunk and Hedwig's
    cage, Harry trudged up the steps and entered a tiny bedroom, only slightly
    larger than his broom cupboard at home, with a small brass bed in one corner.
    He pushed his things into the other corner and turned to face Remus.
    "I'm really tired, I think I'll just lie down for awhile," he said, sitting on
    the corner of the bed. "Thanks so much for coming and getting me."
    "Of course, Harry. Sweet dreams," he answered with a sad smile, leaving the
    room and walking down the creaky steps.
    ****************
    Remus Lupin collapsed onto a well-worn brown sofa, his hands covering his face.
    James. Peter. Sirius. All had left him in their own way, and now he was alone,
    left to care for Harry all by himself. _How can I POSSIBLY raise this child
    and get him to overcome his grief when I can't even do that myself??_ He
    thought silently to himself. He wanted to cry but knew that what he felt was
    far past tears. _I have to hold myself together - for Harry,_ he thought.
    _I can't fail James and Sirius again._
    Remus fell asleep on the couch, a tired, deadened, unrefreshing sleep, and awoke
    late in the afternoon. Quietly, he tiptoed upstairs to check on Harry, trying
    to avoid the loud creaky steps. He knew this house wasn't spectacular, but it
    was all he could afford with the few work opportunities he had been able to
    get this summer. It was still comfortable however, and anything was better than
    being constantly reminded that Sirius had died by living in his former home.
    He held his ear against the door of Harry's bedroom, listening for any sounds.
    He heard none, and entered. Harry was still sleeping, but still did not seem
    relaxed and stress-free. Remus left, sighing to himself. He wished that there
    were some way that he could help Harry through this troubled time.
    Returning to the first floor, he picked up a heavy book that had been sitting
    on his table for a week. Albus Dumbledore had brought it to him last week, but he
    had been too upset to look through it. Something inside him told him that now was
    the time to recollect his past memories.
    *****************
    Harry awoke slowly, stiff and still feeling tired. He glanced out his tiny window
    and saw that the sun was low in the sky; he had gone to sleep at about 5 AM, and
    it looked as though it were nearly 5 PM. _I've never slept that long,_ he
    thought to himself, shaking his head to clear away the dreams and thoughts of
    Sirius. He could no longer sleep without being haunted by the visions of his past.
    Surprisingly, he felt his stomach rumble, and realized he had not eaten in nearly
    twenty four hours. Pulling on his robe, he went to the bathroom and splashed some
    water onto his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, the pale and
    skinny face of someone he barely seemed to know. Looking away, he headed downstairs.
    He noticed Remus sitting on one of the sofas, so engrossed in a large book that
    at first he did not even notice that Harry was awake. Tears were streaming down
    his face; Harry was unsure of what to do. Just when he had decided that he would
    return to his room and let Remus have his time to grieve alone, he tripped over a
    chair in the kitchen, falling flat on his face. Remus looked up.
    "S-s-sorry..." Harry stuttered, feeling horrible.
    "No, don't worry Harry, it's okay," Remus replied, somehow smiling through his tears.
    "Come here, you might find this interesting." Harry sat at Remus' side and looked at
    the book. It was a huge photo album, full of moving pictures. The one that Remus was
    pointing to had a young James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. All had on
    muddy clothing and were holding brooms; they had obviously just gotten done with a
    Quiddich game. James and Sirius smiled brightly and waved, while Remus looked
    downward and smiled shyly. Harry smiled at the sight of them, their hair wind-blown
    and their clothing filthy. Remus turned the page. "This one is from 6th year," he
    said, looking down at a picture of all four of the Mauraderers in their Hogwarts
    robs. "It was the first day of school..." The boys looked a bit older, but their
    attitudes had nonetheless remained the same; James and Sirius stole the spotlight,
    while Remus gazed downwards and Peter attempted to hide behind James. Remus once again
    turned the page, and Harry's heart skipped a beat: James and Lily were there, his
    parents, along with a younger and less gray-haired Remus and a woman he didn't know.
    They sat at the edge of Hogwart's lake, dangling their feet into the water and
    laughing.
    "Who's that?" Harry asked, pointing to the woman with Remus; she had beautiful brown
    hair that fell to her shoulders, curling at the ends, and crystal clear blue eyes.
    The most noticeable thing about her was her brilliant smile. Remus sighed deeply.
    "Well," he started. "That is-"
    Suddenly, the two heard a crash from the front room, followed by several popping
    noises. Remus dropped the photo album silently onto the coffee table and stood up,
    motioning for Harry to stay where he was. "Hello?" Remus called out, a look of
    extreme concern on his face. "Who's there??"
    *********************
    

Next Chapter 


	4. Chapter 4


    **Chapter 4: Flashbacks and Dreams**
    Remus walked quickly through the hallway towards the front room. Forgetting that he was
    supposed to stay where he was, Harry followed. Suddenly, he heard voices.
    "Well I think that this is a horrible idea-"
    "Calm down now, Molly-"
    "Look at him! He shouldn't be out and about like this-"
    Harry peeked into the room. Astonished, he saw that half of the Order of the Phoenix had
    managed to cram themselves into Lupin's tiny front room: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Kinglsey
    Shaklebolt, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, and a few others were all standing in a circle around-
    his heart skipped a beat- Dumbledore! He stepped fully into view and gasped.
    "Professor Dumbledore! I thought you were hurt?" Harry questioned. Dumbledore turned
    towards him, looking exhausted but with a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to
    answer, but Mrs. Weasley interrupted.
    "He has just recovered from an injury that could have been FATAL and yet he insists
    on travelling! Albus, you should be back at headquarters recovering; you'll catch cold
    or get an infection or..." Molly trailed off, concern and anger in her eyes.
    "Molly, dear, I will be quite all right," Dumbledore answered, ending the argument. He
    turned to Harry. "Yes, as you know Harry, I was hurt. But with a bit of rest I should be
    as good as new." He paused. "I still can't apparate, I had to use floo powder to get here,"
    he said, brushing some ashes off of his celestial robes. "But back to the reason we have
    come - we are here to escort you to Grimmauld Place." Harry felt a lump form in his throat.
    He still did not want to go back to Sirius' old house; he mostly wanted to tell this to
    Dumbledore, but decided against it. He looked up and nodded. Dumbledore looked at him, a
    twinkle in his eye. "I know this may be difficult for you, Harry, but it will be much safer."
    Harry sighed. "Please go gather your belongings and we will leave now."
    Harry headed upstairs, collecting his clothing which had been tossed all around the tiny
    bedroom. He noticed that this year, Tonks had not even followed him up the steps to help him
    carry his things; they all had kept their distance, afraid to be in the way of his anger and
    grief. He slammed the lid of his trunk shut. _I wish they would all leave me alone,_ he
    thought to himself. _I know I won't get any private time at Grimmauld Place; Ron will
    constantly be bugging me to play chess, Hermione will want to study, Fred and George will
    want to talk about their joke shop..._ He sighed, dragging his things down the steps.
    Remus stood at the foot of the stairs, clutching the photo album, while the others had
    remained in the front room. Harry reached the bottom of the stairs.
    "Harry-" Remus started, dropping his voice and clearing his throat. "I won't be going to
    Grimmauld Place with you. But I'll be sure to drop in frequently," he said, a note of
    determination in his voice. Harry nodded and continued on into the small room. By floo powder,
    he traveled back to Grimmauld Place along with the rest of the Order. After an informal dinner,
    during which Mrs. Weasley made several comments about how he was looking peaky, pale, thin, and
    sick, he returned to his bedroom upstairs and lay on the bed,thinking of the day's events. Just
    before he fell asleep, he remembered the photo album that he and Remus had been looking through,
    and realized he had never discovered who the pretty brown-haired woman was.
    ***********************
    Remus Lupin lay awake in his own bed, missing Harry much more than he thought he would. Of course,
    Harry had only been at his house for a short time, but it was so nice for once not to be alone.
    He would have to move out of this tiny house in two months, he knew that; money was once again
    running short and he knew the only way to make ends meet was to live in Grimmauld Place. He would
    not be alone there, but the happy crowd made him feel even more distant from the rest of the Order.
    He sighed, running his hand through his hair. Always alone. He had been for so long, so why was it
    hitting him so hard now? He lay back onto his pillow and fell into a fitfull sleep.
    ********************
    ***A cold wind blows down an empty street, chilling the few people outside walking. A young couple reaches
    a store window and peers inside. "How beautiful," sighs the woman happily, looking at a new dress robe
    hanging in the window. The man looks away sadly.
    "I wish I could buy it for you Adele, I really do, but you know I don't have a job again..."
    "Oh Remus, I didn't mean that! I don't expect you to buy expensive things for me!" She frowns, worry
    etched across her pretty face. "I know you love me; I don't need material posessions to tell me that."
    Remus looks up and takes her hands in his own.
    "I wish I could. I wish I could buy you the whole world."***
    ***Two boys, one with sandy brown hair and one with messy jet-black hair, grin at each other. They turn
    towards the voices they can hear off to their left and see two beautiful women talking and laughing.
    "Bloody hell Remus, can you believe how lucky we are?" James asks, shaking his head.
    "No; I still don't know how I managed to get a girl like Adele," he says, smiling. James turns to him,
    grinning.
    "Are you going to ask her, Remus? Lily and I are going to dinner tonight, I'm going to ask her then."
    A look of worry crosses his face. "I hope she says yes..." he whispers.
    "James, of course she will. You have nothing to worry about. As for Adele... I'm waiting to ask until
    the time is right. Marriage is such a big committment, and with my...condition... I'm not sure if she'll
    have me... I don't really want to ask," he mumbled.
    "Remus, you know she doesn't care about that. She'd say yes, I'm sure. Don't wait too long before you
    ask her," he said warningly.***
    ***A young woman with brown hair and sparkling blue eyes runs across a field and collapses on a blanket,
    giggling. A picnic lunch is spread across the blanket, and a young man with brown hair and chocolate-
    colored eyes is searching through the picnic basket. "What are you getting now, Remus? Another dessert?
    We already had one!" She laughs.
    "Not quite," he answers, smiling to appear calm but his breathing becoming ragged as the nervousness
    inside him begins to tear him apart. His hand grasps a small box from inside the basket, and he draws
    it out slowly. He drops to his knees in front of the woman, and her her hands fly up to her face as her
    mouth drops open in surprise.
    "Oh, Rem..." she whispers.
    "Adele... will you marry me?"***
    ***Remus breathes in unsteadily as he stares stunned at the Dark Mark hovering above a house. Not just
    any house; HER house. She could still be alive, he thinks to himself frantically, breaking into a run.
    Out of breath, he reaches the door and opens it wide. The stench of death surrounds him as he looks
    hurriedly from room to room. Her family is here; her brother and sister, mother and father. But no sign
    of Adele can be seen in the smoldering ruins of her former home. "Adele..." he whispers. "I'll find
    you, I promise..."***
    Remus Lupin awoke suddenly from his sleep, sweat pouring from his forehead and his breath coming in gasps.
    Taking a deep breath, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the images in his head. The picture
    he had seen with Harry today had awoken a sense of longing, his desire to be with Adele. Of course she
    was with him in everything he did, in every moment. He had never thought it possible to miss her
    more, but now he did. Now it was worse. Much worse. "Adele..." he moaned softly. "I know you're still
    out there... come back to me, please..."
    **************************
    

Next Chapter 


	5. Chapter 5


    **Chapter 5:Lost & Found **
    Voleta Voile walked swiftly down a street in downtown Paris, her high heels clicking against the brick
    underfoot. She had seen three owls today, and she was angry about it. "Bloody birds," she mumbled to
    herself, her accent a strange mix between French and her native British. She had lived here so long
    she had almost completely lost her British accent, but it was still slightly apparent in her voice.
    This too annoyed her, though not nearly as much as seeing the owls. She had known they were wizarding
    owls too, the way they flew so low to the ground; she could even see the letter tied to one owl's
    leg!
    Owls. Wands. Cloaks. MAGIC. _What rubbish_, she thought to herself.
    Things such as these stirred memories inside her of events she had almost managed to forget, a time
    long past when her life had been entirely different. But now, today, this cold rainy day in Paris,
    things were different. Better, she told herself. Her tiny apartment, her office job, there were
    the things that success is made of. She waved down a city bus traveling down the crowded street and
    got on board, leaning her face against the cool window. Deep in thought, her eyes closed most of
    the journey home, she failed to see the man who had gotten onto the bus after her, his long dark
    cloak touching the floor of the bus only two seats behind her.
    
    
    * * *
    
    
    Dinner that night at Number 12 Grimmauld Place was quite the affair. After giving Harry a day alone
    to rest, Mrs. Weasley insisted that Harry, Ron, Hermione and as many members of the Order as
    possible come to the evening meal. She had outdone herself once again, with the table groaning under
    the mounds of delicious food. Harry, however, still seemed withdrawn and sullen. Hermione had noticed
    the change, of course, and was attempting to engage Harry in coversation; after a while however, she
    gave up, and began talking to Tonks about S.P.E.W., while Ron was listening in on the animated
    conversation between several of the other aurors, talking about a raid which had occured earlier that
    day.
    "Did you see him Kingsley, the way that curse hit him there was no way out-"
    "Ha! You're lucky you made it, that was a sticky situation..."
    "That wasn't luck, that was skill!! What are you talking about?"
    Heavily, Harry got up from the table and headed upstairs, no one seeing him leave with the exception
    of Dumbledore. Dumbledore turned to his left where Remus Lupin sat, staring at his now-empty place.
    "Excuse me, Remus, would you mind having a private word with me in the parlor?" Remus looked up,
    slightly alarmed.
    "Oh, er, of course, Albus," he said simply, standing up. They reached the parlor and sat on one of
    the old-fashioned sofas. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
    "I am very concerned about Harry. I know that each person must deal with their grief in their own
    way, and I know that you are dealing with yours at this time also, Remus. However, I see you as one
    of the few people that Harry would feel comfortable talking to about Sirus." Remus looked down,
    feeling guilty.
    "Albus, I am sorry, I have been so selfish and caught up with my own grief, I haven't had time-"
    "Now Remus," Dumbledore began. "I am not insinuating that you should have been helping Harry. At
    this point, it is still too early. But in the future," his eyes twinkled, and a small smile
    appeared, "I shall want you to be there for him, near him so that he may discuss the situation
    if he feels the need to. Which is why I have decided to rehire you for the position of Hogwart's
    Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
    Remus stared at Dumbledore, amazed. "But... that's not safe, the parents... no one will allow it..."
    "I am allowing it," Dumbledore interrupted. "With the Wolfsbane Potion, it is safe; many parents
    will have heard from their children that you were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher
    they have ever had. For those parents who disagree with my decision, their only choice will be to
    remove their children from my school, as many have already done with Voldemort's return. I doubt
    many more will leave. Please, Remus, accept this position." Numbly, Remus nodded. "Good then, it
    is done; I will expect to see you the last week of August so that you may set up your classroom.
    See you soon, Remus," he said, exiting the room and disapparating from the hallway. Remus sat back
    in shock. He was going to be a teacher again! And more than just that, he would be able to be near
    Harry, helping him cope. He smiled to himself. Things were beginning to look up.
    
    
    * * *
    
    
    "Harry, I know you don't want to talk right now, but if you ever do, I'm here for you, okay?" The
    worried voice of Hermione floated into his bedroom and pushed aside his thoughts of Sirius. He
    nodded.
    "Thanks Hermione," he said, pausing. "I just... it's so hard..." He shook his head, he would never
    be able to transform his emotions into words. He covered his eyes with his hand, great, he thought
    to himself, he was about to start crying again. He hoped Hermione would just leave, walk out of
    the door so he could deal with this by himself. _Leave, Hermione, please leave..._he thought.
    Instead, she swooped down upon him and hugged him, beginning to sob herself.
    "Harry, I know this is hard, it's difficult for all of us, I know it's the worst for you, but...
    please, Harry, don't do this to yourself." She looked up, her face shining with tears. "I miss
    the old you, Harry." _The old me died when I found out about the prophesy,_ he thought to
    himself.
    "I'm sorry, Hermione," he mumbled. She hugged him tighter.
    "Don't be sorry, Harry, I know you have to grieve. Everyone does. It's okay to cry." They sat
    together on the floor of his room, arms around one another, tears pouring down their faces for
    nearly an hour and a half. Finally, after he and Hermione had been able to collect themselves,
    they stood up. Harry felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest just by sharing his
    feelings with his friend.
    "Thanks, Hermione, that really helped," he said, smiling.
    "Sure," she whispered back, enveloping him in another hug. Neither one of them saw the angry
    face glaring at them from the door which was just barely open.
    ***********************************
    

Next Chapter 


	6. Chapter 6


    **Chapter 6: Blossoming Love****
    Harry awoke the next day feeling refreshed and relaxed, something that had not occured since
    Sirius' death. Seeing that Ron was still asleep, he headed downstairs to get some breakfast.
    Upon reaching the foot of the steps, he could smell the huge breakfast that Mrs. Weasley had
    been baking for them. He entered the spacious kitchen and saw Remus, Tonks, Hermione, and
    Mrs. Weasley inside. As usual, Mrs. Weasley was at the stove flipping pancakes. Harry sat
    down next to Hermione.
    "Feeling okay today, Harry?" she asked with a smile.
    "Yes, loads better, thanks," he repiled.
    "Really, Harry? I'm glad to hear that," Remus said, looking happier than Harry had seen him
    in a very long time.
    "Uh... thanks, Remus," Harry replied, somewhat confused.
    "Actually, Harry, maybe you should start calling me Professor Lupin again... just for practice,
    you know, so that when we get back to school you won't forget." His face broke out into a huge
    grin. Hermione shrieked.
    "Professor Lupin! You're, well, a professor again!" Shrieking again, she hugged him.
    "Really?" asked Harry.
    "Really," Remus replied, smiling. "Well, Tonks has to go to work now, and I must go to Diagon
    Alley to pick up some more supplies for my classes next year. I'll see you two later this
    afternoon. Thanks for the wonderful breakfast, Molly."
    "Oh, any time!" Molly replied, beaming. Tonks smiled at Harry.
    "Wotcher, Harry. I'll probably see you tonight, we've got a meeting for the Order." She and
    Remus apparated. Molly returned to the stove and Harry and Hermione remained alone at the table.
    "I can't believe Remus is going to be our professor again! This is going to be the best year
    ever," Hermione sighed happily.
    "Hermione..." Harry said, making sure that Mrs. Weasley was out of earshot, "thanks so much for
    last night. You helped a lot, you really did."
    "Sure Harry, that's what friends are for, right?" she answered, squeezing his hand. They returned
    to their breakfasts and continued eating. Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open loudly
    and crashed against the wall.
    "RONALD WEASLEY! WHAT do you think you're doing, causing all that racket?? You know you're sister's
    still asleep, it's quite early, you shouldn't go around making noise and waking up the entire house
    every time you open a door..." Mrs. Weasley continued to scold Ron as she turned back to the food
    that was cooking, continuing on as she gave him a plate filled with pancakes. Looking angry, Ron
    took the plate and sat down on the other side of Hermione. He began eating silently.
    "Ron? Is everything okay?" Hermione asked, as soon as Mrs. Weasley had left the kitchen to check on
    Ginny. Ron rolled his eyes and snorted.
    "Oh yes, everything's just peachy," he replied sarcastically. He pushed away his half-finished plate
    and walked out of the kitchen. Hermione cast a worried glance at the door he had just left through.
    "He's been quite odd lately, Harry, especially since you've been here. He was really talkative
    before you arrived... I don't really know what's wrong with him." Harry smiled; then he grinned.
    _For ONCE,_he thought to himself,_I know something that Hermione doesn't!_
    "Harry? What are you smiling at??" Hermione asked, looking quizzically at him. He coughed, trying
    to hide his laugh.
    "Er, nothing. Nothing at all," he said, getting up from the table. "I think I'm going to go get
    dressed now."
    "Okay..." Hermione replied, looking even more confused.
    *******************************************
    Getting off the bus one stop after Voleta Voile, the man in the dark hooded cloak doubled back quickly,
    attempting to find her. Finally, he spotted her burgundy jacket, and slowed to keep a considerable
    distance between them. He watched as she went to an older apartment building, climbed the steps to
    the second floor and went into the third door on the right. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying
    to memorize these directions. The apartment door shut; the man in the dark cloak stared at the door
    for a moment, then apparated.
    ******************************************
    Harry reached his and Ron's bedroom and flung the door open happily. Ron was inside, playing Wizard's
    Chess by himself. He paused for a moment to glare at Harry as he entered.
    "Hey, Ron. Want to play against me?" Harry asked. Ron laughed coldly.
    "I don't think so," he mumbled. Harry rolled his eyes and sat down next to Ron on the floor.
    "You know, I don't even like her Ron, so you can stop being like this." Ron's eyes narrowed.
    "What the bloody hell are you talking about, Harry?"
    "You know exactly who I'm talking about. Hermione. I can tell you like her, it's extremely obvious,
    and I just wanted to let you know you don't have to be mad at me, because Hermione and I are just
    friends." Ron made a sarcastic noise.
    "Oh, right. Then what exactly was going on last night, hmm? You and her all over each other, it was
    enough to make me sick!" Harry paused uncomfortably before answering.
    "We were talking... about Sirius," he mumbled.
    "Oh," Ron answered quietly. "Sorry I brought it up." Harry cleared his throat.
    "No, it's okay. I just wanted you to know that I don't like her that way, and if you want me to talk
    to her and tell her you do..." he trailed off, smiling.
    "Whoever said I did??" Ron asked, looking alarmed. "I never admitted it!"
    "You never denied it either, mate, and you get jealous about her quite easily," Harry said, laughing.
    Ron blushed bright red.
    "Maybe I like her...a little," he mumbled.
    "A little?? Ron, you like her a LOT!" Harry exclaimed. They looked at each other and cracked up.
    "okay, okay, a lot," Ron managed to say, still laughing. Just then the door opened.
    "What's so funny?" Hermione asked curiously, looking around the room to see her two best friends
    lying on the floor laughing until they were crying, surrounded by various Wizarding Chess pieces.
    "Nothing..." Ron mananged to say, gasping for air. He looked at Harry and the two began to laugh
    again, even harder this time. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked out the door.
    "Boys," she said to herself, exasperated.
    *********************
    **

Next Chapter 


	7. Chapter 7


    **Chapter 7: **
    Harry glanced at the clock on the wall. 4:23. The Order of the Phoenix meeting didn't start until
    4:30, he knew, but most of the members were milling around the long table in the kitchen, waiting
    for the meeting to begin. Harry noticed that the number of wizards and witches in the Order seemed
    to have doubled, no doubt from the members' recriuting efforts since Voldemort's show of power at
    the Department of Mysteries. He noticed a group of young witches giggling off in one corner, some
    of what looked like Mundungus Fletcher's friends to the right, and - Harry's jaw dropped in
    amazement - a single goblin standing by Bill Weasley's side, eyeing the crowd suspiciously.
    Suddenly, he felt a hand pulling him back by his shoulder.
    "All of you kids, upstairs right now, the meeting's about to start and you can't be down here!"
    Mrs. Weasley scolded. In reality, Harry had been the only one near enough to the door to see what
    was happening, but Mrs. Weasley never was able to scold him directly. Defeatedly, the trio and
    Ginny headed upstairs to Ron and Harry's room.
    "Now what?" asked Ron idly, sprawled out on top of his bed.
    "I dunno," said Harry, staring out the window. He noticed several specks off in the distance; as
    they got closer, he realized they were owls: Hogwart's owls!
    "Ron, 'Mione, our Hogwart's letters are here!" he cried. All three rushed to the window, Ginny
    following behind.
    "Ooooh, our O.W.L. scores are in here, too!" Hermione said excitedly. Harry's stomach dropped. He
    had forgotten all about the tests he had taken the last weeks of school.
    "Weren't we supposed to get those in July?" Ron asked, ripping his envelope open.
    "That's what I thought too, I wonder why they didn't come then?" Hermione asked.
    Slowly, Harry pulled out his letter with the supply list and laid it on top of his bed. He read
    the second letter contained in the envelope:
    HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY:
    O.W.L. TEST RESULTS
    Harry Potter
    Defense Against the Dark Arts:
    OUTSTANDING
    Transfiguration:
    OUTSTANDING
    Charms:
    OUTSTANDING
    Herbology:
    OUTSTANDING
    Divination:
    ACCEPTABLE
    Care of Magical Creatures:
    OUTSTANDING
    Astronomy:
    ACCEPTABLE
    Potions:
    EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS
    History of Magic:
    POOR
    You have been accepted into the following N.E.W.T. level classes:
    DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS
    TRANSFIGURATION
    CHARMS
    HERBOLOGY
    CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES
    POTIONS
    Please purchase the following textbooks..."
    Harry stared at the letter in awe. He had not gotten an "outstanding" in Potions. But somehow,
    he had been accepted into the N.E.W.T. class?? He could not understand. Suddenly Hermione broke
    his train of thought.
    "Harry? Harry, what did you get?? I got outstanding in all 9!" she squealed.
    "I'm in Potions," Harry mumbled, amazed.
    "You are??" Hermione asked, looking shocked. "Well, good job Harry! It's nearly impossible to
    get an outstanding in Potions!"
    "But I didn't get an outstanding... I only got exceeds expectations. There must have been some
    kind of mistake."Hermione looked at the paper, frowing, and pulled it out of his hands.
    "That's odd... I wonder how that happened..." Ron looked at Harry in horror.
    "I'm in Potions too! Not another year with Snape..." he moaned. Harry looked at Ron.
    "Did you get exceeds expectations too?" he asked with anticipation.
    "No, mate, I got outstanding, I don't know how the bloody hell that happened..." Harry frowned.
    Why had he gotten into Potions?? He was of course happy that he had, as he needed the class to
    enter Auror training, but still... it seemed odd.
    "I'm hungry," Ron complained, glancing at the clock. It was nearly 6:00. "When d'you think dinner
    will be ready?"
    "The Order's meeting isn't even over yet, Ron!" Hermione said logically. "We can't eat with all of
    them in the kitchen!"
    "Why don't we go sit by the door and wait," Harry said suddenly, sensing a fight about to develop
    between Ron and Hermione. Hermione frowned at him.
    "Harry, if you're suggesting we eavesdrop on the Order..."
    "No! I'm just saying then we would know when the meeting was over. Besides, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley
    used the Imperturbable Charm again this year to make sure no one can overhear anything." Hermione
    smiled.
    "Oh, alright then. Let's go downstairs." They dropped their letters and headed out the door.
    The trio made its way down the steps and through the hallway towards the kitchen door. Just as
    Harry had said, they could not overhear anything being said inside the room. Ron and Harry began
    to have a discussion about this year's Quiddich team; with most of the upperclassmen gone,
    the team might be a lot weaker than it was the year before. Hermione had gotten her knitting
    needles out and had started what looked to be a hat for a house elf; Ron and Harry had been
    too scared to ask what it was exactly. Just then, Harry heard a clicking sound. Turning his
    head, he realized it was coming from the foyer. "Do you guys hear that?" he whispered.
    "Yes," Hermione replied worriedly. "I think someone's unlocking the front door!"
    "What?? But who could it be? They're all in the meeting!" Ron whispered urgently, a look of fear
    crossing his face. All three leaned out into the hallway, peering at the front door. It opened.
    A man in a black billowing cloak entered alone, swiftly shutting the door behind him. From his
    perspective on the floor, Harry thought the man looked dangerous and unfamiliar. He tried to
    stand up, but Hermione held him down.
    "Snape," she whispered, as Harry came to the same realization. "We have to stay here, we don't want
    him to think we're spying!" Cowering in the dark shadow along the wall, the trio held their breath,
    trying to hide from the Potions Professor who was quickly approaching. He did not pause. He did not
    look at them. Instead, he walked swiftly, meaningfully, towards the kitchen door. He threw it open
    and the conversation inside ceased at once. Severus Snape pulled the dark hood away from his face.
    "I have found her," he announced triumphantly to the room, a hint of dislike in his voice.
    **************************
    

Next Chapter 


	8. Chapter 8


    **Chapter 8: Good News & Surprises
    Harry stared at the hem of Professor Snape's cloak; he was only 2 feet away from him, at
    best. He tried desperately to smash himself against the wall, hiding from the view of Snape
    and the rest of the Order.
    "I found her," Snape repeated, a smirk appearing on his face.
    "Severus, come inside here at once! Don't stand there with the door open, the children could
    overhear..." The voice of Molly Weasley rang out from across the room, her reprimanding tone
    equal to that which she used if Ron, George, or Fred was in trouble. Ron looked at Harry and
    grinned; Harry could tell that Ron was thoroughly enjoying Snape's reprimand.
    "Please enter, Severus, as this is a secret society, Molly is right, we should not be overheard by those
    outside," Dumbledore stated formally. Snape's smirk disappeared slightly at being criticized like a child
    by two adults. He strode into the room haughtily, his cloak billowing out behind him, and his foot
    tripping over Ron's gangly leg as he lie in the hallway. Snape fell, coming dangerously close to falling
    face-first onto the tile in the kitchen, but managing to grab the doorframe and stop himself. He wheeled
    around to face Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
    "What are you doing here?" he hissed. Ron had gone completely pale.
    "I... we were... I just... waiting for dinner..." he stuttered, backing away and pressing himself against the
    wall. Snape turned and entered the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley stood up fuming and stomped angrily to the door.
    "Ronald Weasley! What are you doing here? Get upstairs, all of you!" Meekly, they nodded, climbing the stairs
    quickly. They returned to Ron and Harry's room.
    "Guess that wasn't such a good idea," muttered Harry.
    "I TOLD you it was spying," Hermione said in an all-knowing voice. Harry sighed without responding and fell
    onto his bed. He picked up his Hogwart's letter and noticed that there were still several papers inside that
    he had not read yet; in his haste to prevent Ron and Hermione's argument, he had not looked through the entire
    envelope. Curiously, he pulled them out.
    Dear Mr. Potter,
    As the head of the Gryffindor house, I am pleased to offer you the
    opportunity to be the captain of our Quidditch team. As I know you
    are in many N.E.W.T. classes this year, this may be too much of a
    burden, but I hope that you will accept this honor. You are the best
    candidate for the position. On another note, your acceptance into
    Professor Snape's Potions class was a special exception; I have
    promised him that you will get the highest possible marks this year.
    Good luck with this school year,
    Professor McGonagall
    Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione, gaping. They were involved in an intense discussion about Snape's apparently
    important discovery, trying to figure out exactly who "she" was. Taking his letter and sitting down on the floor,
    he leaned back against his bed facing the wall. He grinned. Captain of the team! He could hardly believe it. He
    should have figured that McGonagall would have been the one to get him into Potions of course; she knew he needed
    it to be an Auror. Still smiling, he pulled out the second letter. He gasped as a shiny metal badge fell out along
    with the parchment. With trembling hands, he picked it up, not daring to believe what he thought it was. "Prefect"
    was inscribed across the front. He frowned; this had to be a mistake! Ron and Hermione were both still prefects
    this year, their letters had said so. How could he be one too? Quickly, he took out the letter and began to read:
    Dear Mr. Potter,
    As you know, Lord Voldemort has returned and is still at large.
    Given the present circumstances, I have chosen two more prefects
    from each grade level, a boy and a girl, to help keep Hogwarts
    more safe. As I will be telling all of the prefects at the start
    of the school year, any suspicious activity should be reported to
    me or to a staff member immediately. Enjoy the remainder of your
    summer break.
    Professor Dumbledore
    Harry was so happy he wanted to cry. He was a prefect! He was the Quidditch captain! And he had gotten into all
    of the classes he needed to be an Auror! What else could possibly happen that would make him happier than he was
    right now, he thought to himself, grinning. Picking up his prefect badge off the ground, he raised himself up
    off the floor and turned to face Ron and Hermione, planning to tell them the great news. However, the sight he
    saw shocked him.
    Ron and Hermione stood in a passionate embrace, lips touching, arms wrapped around one another. Harry's mouth
    dropped open as he stood silently staring at his two best friends.
    *********************************
    Voleta Voile awoke after a long night. Sleepily, she reached for the wine bottle next to her bed, attempting to
    drink off this morning's hangover. She had taken up muggle drinking soon after leaving the wizarding community;
    she found it to be an excellent escape from her problems as it helped her forget everything she had left behind.
    Little did she know she was about to be reminded.
    Getting out of bed, Voleta glanced at the clock. _Nearly 11:00_, she thought to herself. _I love Saturdays,
    the laziness, the TV, no work at all... _ She put on her robe and walked down the hall to her small kitchenette,
    grabbing a box of cereal. Just then she heard a sudden "pop!" behind her. She spun around.
    "Who's there?" she whispered fearfully. "Hello?"
    "Ms. Fleur, do not be alarmed," a voice said. Voleta gasped and her blood turned to ice.
    "My name is Voleta Voile!" she squealed. "Voleta!" Apprehensively, she left the small room and entered her sitting
    room to find a man in a dark blue star-studded robe sitting on her sofa. "Wha-What are you doing here?" she asked.
    The man smiled, surveying her over his half-moon glasses, his gray beard falling across his robes.
    "Please, Adele, sit down. We must talk." Dumbledore said to her seriously.
    *******************************
    **

Next Chapter 


	9. Chapter 9


    **Chapter 9**
    Regaining the ability to move, Harry silently crouched on the floor, his eyes wide. _They must have
    thought I left,_ he thought to himself. What was he going to do now? He didn't want to interrupt
    anything, especially since it had taken this long to happen. Pulling himself under the bed, he
    rested his forehead on the cold floor, hoping that Ron and Hermione wouldn't see him.
    "Ron!" He heard Hermione whisper, a sense of urgency in her voice, but no anger. "Harry's not still
    in here, is he?"
    "No, 'Mione, I think he left a while ago," Ron replied softly.
    "Okay," she whispered back. They were quiet for a moment, Harry knew it was one of those awkward
    silences. He could just imagine Ron's face turning bright red.
    "Hermione, I'm really sorry -"
    "Why are you sorry, Ron... don't be..." There was another silence but Harry didn't think this was
    because they weren't talking. He couldn't believe he was in the same room with his best friends while
    they were snogging! He felt just like he had fourth year when he and Ron had been forced to hide outside
    the dance in the rosebushes and they accidentally overheard Hagrid and Madame Maxime's conversation.
    Like then, he was trying to take his mind off of the conversation, intensely studying a crack in the
    old floor. Of course he had known they had liked each other, but... this seemed so odd. Glancing across
    the room, he noticed that the door was slightly open; he might be able to get out without making any
    noise. Stealthily, he crept across the floor and managed to squeeze out of the door. He gave a huge
    sigh of relief. _Finally,_he thought to himself. _That situation was definitely too uncomfortable._
    After taking a 15 minute tour of the house, Harry walked back downstairs. The meeting had let out, he
    noticed; witches and wizards were milling around in the kitchen, and a few were walking out of the
    front door. Mrs. Weasley came up to him.
    "Harry, dear, we're about to eat. Do you know where Ron and Hermione are?"
    "Uh, yeah, I'll go get them," he said hurriedly.
    "Oh thank you dear. I was just about to do that myself!" Harry had to hold back laughter. _Lucky
    she didn't,_ he thought to himself. He quickly climbed the stairs and knocked loudly on the door
    to his room.
    "RON! HERMIONE! We're going to eat supper!" he yelled. Ron hurriedly pulled the door open.
    "Er, hi, Harry," he said, blushing a bit. Harry gave him a knowing smile. Hermione appeared, looking
    surprisingly cool and collected.
    "Is the meeting over already?" she asked. Harry nodded; he noticed that, as natural as she was trying
    to act, she was avoiding making eye contact with him. The three friends headed downstairs and into
    the kitchen. As they entered, Harry suddenly halted, shocked at the sight before him.
    Remus Lupin sat at the table, tears streaming down his face. The other members were glancing at him
    anxiously, and Professor Dumbledore was sitting by his side, having a quiet conversation with him
    that could not be overheard. Ignoring his instincts to stay out of the situation, Harry rushed up to
    Remus.
    "Remus - er - Professor Lupin, are you okay?" he asked. Remus looked up at him, smiling through his
    tears.
    "Wonderful, Harry. Never better," he replied hoarsely, laughing a bit. Harry was utterly confused,
    but just then Mrs. Weasley announced that dinner was ready. Mr. Weasley sat across from Harry,
    occasionally questioning him about microwaves, his newest passion. Harry spent the entire meal
    glancing questioningly at Remus, who had managed to stop crying and was eating joyfully and laughing
    at every joke that was told. After dinner, Harry attempted to talk to Remus, but Dumbledore held
    him back, leading him into an adjacent room.
    "Harry, as much as I know you want to talk to Professor Lupin, I must ask you to refrain from doing
    so for the time being," he said, looking at Harry and holding up his hand, seeing that he was about
    to object. "Remus has just found out something that will change his life; he is trying to deal with
    the situation right now. Even he cannot understand everything that is going on right now. I promise
    that I will tell you soon, Harry," he said with an understanding smile. "I wish that I could do it
    now."
    "But remember what happened last time you didn't tell me something?" Harry asked defensively.
    Dumbledore sighed to himself.
    "I know, Harry, but this is much different. This is important, secret information that not even
    the Order knows yet. I will tell you when the time is right." Harry nodded. He had no other choice.
    Leaving Dumbledore, he walked slowly up the stairs. Remus was acting crazy, Ron and Hermione were
    all over each other, and Dumbledore wouldn't tell him what was going on. He reached the top of the
    stairs and moodily threw the door open. Thankfully, it was empty; if Ron and Hermione had been
    inside, he probably would have gotten angry.
    He sighed to himself. Just hours before, he had been happier than he had been all summer; now, he
    felt the old feelings of misery and loneliness creeping upon him again. He laid down on his bed
    and took his glasses off, hoping that September 1st would come quickly.
    *****************************
    

Next Chapter 


	10. Chapter 10


    **Chapter 10: A New Start**
    Harry awoke early, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. It was early in the morning; the sunlight
    had not drifted into the room yet, and Ron was still asleep, snoring quietly. Harry rolled onto his
    side, hoping that today would be better. Before drifting off to sleep again, he made a conscious
    decision to be nicer to Ron and Hermione today; he had so many things to tell them, things that
    just weren't as good unless you shared them with a friend. With that thought, he closed his eyes
    and drifted back into a dreamless sleep.
    ************************
    Voleta Voile paced anxiously across her living room, tears streaming from her eyes. She had tried
    to shut this out, to disown this world, to forget its very existence, and yet here it was, rushing
    to meet her and attempting once again to pull her back into its realm. She spun around and faced
    Dumbledore, who was sitting serenely on Voleta's overstuffed sofa.
    "I can't go back," she said forcefully. He merely smiled. _Damn him,_ she thought bitterly to
    herself. _He hasn't changed, not one bit, in 15 years!_ She knew at this very moment he was
    probably reading her mind, just like he always had, and that she would lose the argument she was
    about to have with him. Still, it was worth an effort. "I can't go back," she repeated. "It would
    be too hard for me, emotionally... I can't do it," she finished lamely, desperately trying to
    figure out why she had ever tried to oppose him in the first place. She knew he was right. She
    must return.
    "Adele, I know you understand why you have to return to our world. The wizarding community needs
    you. I know you do not want to come, but this decision is not up to me. This is fate, Adele, and
    we all must answer its call." _Damn it!_ she thought to herself angrily. _Why does he always
    have to make so much sense?!?! There's no way out of this now,_ she thought. She sighed.
    "All right," she said snappishly, her French accent ringing clear. "I will do what you need me to."
    Dumbledore bowed his head.
    "Thank you," he said simply, smiling up at her. "We will allow you one week to finish your business
    in the muggle world, and then we shall have a team come to help move your belongings to the
    Order of the Phoenix headquarters." She glanced sharply at him.
    "Where exactly are the headquarters of the Order?" she asked.
    "Number 12, Grimmauld Place," he replied, looking somewhat downcast.
    "Not Sirius too?" She whispered. "How many of them are gone? Is anyone left, anyone at all?" Her
    eyes brimmed with tears. "Is... is he..."
    "He's still here, Adele. At the headquarters. You will see him in one week. I shall meet you here
    next Tuesday at noon. Good luck packing, and thank you for having the strength and courage to do
    this. I know it is difficult for you." With a swish of his cloak, he disapparated.
    Voleta Voile fell back into an armchair. _First, I'll have to quit my cozy office job,_ she
    thought to herself. The job she had continuously told herself she loved; in reality, however, she
    knew it was meaningless. Especially in comparision to what she would be doing next week. Standing,
    she walked to her desk and withdrew a dust-covered book from the back shelf. Brushing it off a
    bit, the shiny letters embossed on the cover appeared, "Hogwarts Class of 1978"; she glanced through
    the pictures inside quickly before throwing it down, tears appearing in her eyes. She stood up
    abruptly and went into her bedroom to begin packing, leaving the yearbook open to the page with her
    own picture staring up innocently from the coffee table. "Adele Fleur, Most Likely to Succeed" was
    written just below it.
    **********************************
    Harry, Ron, and Hermione had taken the day to go to Diagon Alley. They had already bought their
    school supplied and were currently sitting outside enjoying their sundaes in the late August heat.
    For what seemed to be the first time in months, Harry was actually enjoying himself around his
    friends, talking and laughing. The conversation was light and carefree as Hermione described her
    holiday in Italy; Harry listened jealously, he had never been anywhere exciting. If the Dursleys
    went on a trip, they always left him home. Hermione finished and turned to Ron.
    "How about you? Anything exciting over the summer?" she asked.
    "Hmm..." He thought for a minute. "Fred and George's business is still booming, they're going to
    be bloody millionaires pretty soon. I overheard Ginny telling one of her friends she has a new
    boyfriend, I just haven't figured out who it is. She won't tell me." Hermione giggled at this,
    and Ron shot her an angry look. "What? She won't tell!"
    "Well of course she won't, Ron, she has good reason not to. You tend to dislike her boyfriends,
    if I remember correctly from last year..." Ron gaped at her.
    "Well if she doesn't ever tell me, how will she know if I'm mad??" He asked, exasperated.
    "How about you, Harry, anything new over the summer?" Hermione cut in smoothly.
    "Er..." What had he done all summer? _Just mourned Sirius,_ he thought to himself. That would
    sound quite pathetic to Ron and Hermione: _Oh, nothing really, just spent every day crying in my
    room not eating..._ An escape from this question occured to him.
    "Did I tell you I'm a prefect?" He asked, grinning, knowing that in fact he had not told them yet.
    "What??" cried Hermione, flabbergasted. "But... how... Ron and I..." Harry grinned.
    "Dumbledore sent me a letter, when we got our Hogwart's letters. I guess they chose 2 more prefects
    for each year, because the VOldemort situation has gotten out of control." Ron shivered at the name,
    Hermione hitting him lightly on the shoulder.
    "Ron, you have to get over this name thing," she chided gently. He didn't respond. "Anyways, Harry,
    that's wonderful news! Anything else?" she asked, as if she already knew.
    "I'm Quidditch captain," he said quietly, smiling but trying not to look too proud of himself.
    "You are?? Congratulations, mate!" Ron said jovially, punching his shoulder. "This is gonna be a
    great year... the best one so far!" Harry smiled. He was glad Ron was so happy for him; he had
    been afraid that he might be jealous. At this point in time, Harry knew there was nowhere he would
    rather be than sitting in the warm sunlight eating ice cream with his friends, telling stories
    about their summers, listening to jokes and predicting what next year would bring. However, he
    still knew that, in the back of his mind, the prophesy existed; he knew he must tell Ron and
    Hermione soon, but for now he could push this thought away.
    **********************************
    

Next Chapter 


	11. Chapter 11


    **Chapter 11: Year Six**
    Harry awoke to Ron's voice. "Hurry up mate, or we'll be late again," he mumbled, attempting to
    crawl out of bed himself. Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley in Ginny's room trying to wake her as
    he fumbled around, looking for his glasses. He found them and, putting them on, leaned back onto
    his pillow. September 1st had finally come. Crawling out of bed, he dressed quickly and went
    downstairs for some breakfast. Only he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were there, along with Mrs.
    Weasley; the adults had left earlier in the day for work, and Remus had been at Hogwarts all
    week, preparing his classroom. After munching on some toast, the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry
    all managed to cram their luggage into two muggle taxis which stood waiting outside. The drivers
    looked quite unhappy, but as they were too young to apparate, unable to obtain a portkey, and
    didn't have a ministry car, this was their only choice. Soon they arrived at the train station.
    "Take care, and stay out of trouble this year," Mrs. Weasley was lecturing. Ginny rolled her eyes
    and pulled her luggage onto the train. The trio looked up at the scarlet steam engine.
    "Ready, guys?" Ron asked, smiling. Their sixth year had finally begun.
    ******************************
    Adele Fleur was a mess. She had quit her job, packed her belongings, and yet she still had three
    more days to wait. Three!! She paced nervously back and forth through her small apartment. _I have
    to calm down,_ she told herself. Taking a few deep breathes, she knelt before one of the smaller
    boxes in the room, all neatly labeled in black magic marker. She opened the lid and pulled out a few
    objects: the dusty yearbook,some elementary spellbooks, and a long thin wand. 7 and a half inches,
    holly, with a single unicorn hair. She smiled to herself; she had not done magic in so long! For her,
    it would actually be a relief to get out of this monotonous lifestyle. She was unsure why she had
    even waited this long, except for her everpresent fear that everyone she knew would be dead when
    she returned. She still didn't know anything though, still had no idea who was alive, what was
    happening at Hogwarts, what events had took place since she ran away, what Voldemort was doing....
    all she knew was that he had returned. She had felt it, that fateful night...
    Just then, a popping sound shook Adele from her thoughts. Turning she saw a man in dirty gray robes,
    the mousy blonde hair on his head rumpled. _Here's another, still alive!_ she thought estatically
    to herself, grinning at the man. He smiled back nervously, his watery eyes staring into her clear
    blue ones. "Hello, Peter!" she said happily, greeting him.
    *****************************
    Harry and Ron ran into the Great Hall panting. They both had been involved in a near-death experience
    with Peeves, who had tried to drop several statues on top of them. Harry glanced at his watch,
    hoping desperately that the sorting had not started and that no one would notice they were late.
    However, they weren't that lucky...
    "Fifteen points from Gryffindor," came the oily voice from behind them. Spinning around, they saw
    Professor Snape leaning against the brick wall, smirking. Grabbing Ron by his cloak, Harry dragged
    him into the Great Hall before he could protest. _What's wrong with this situation?_ Harry
    thought to himself. _Aren't I supposed to be the one who gets angry so easily? What is wrong with
    Ron?_
    "Why that little... I'm going to..." Ron muttered to himself, still pulling against Harry' grasp.
    "Come ON, Ron, we have to get to our table!" he hissed. Sulkily, Ron gave up, and they took a seat
    next to Hermione, who gave them both a reproachful look.
    "Glad you two could make it," she said sarcastically. "You've missed the sorting, Dumbledore's just
    about to begin his speech now."
    Winking at Harry as he stood up (Harry knew he had seen them come in late; Dumbledore never missed
    anything), Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat.
    "Welcome to another year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As you should all now know,
    Lord Voldemort has returned, and in light of recent events, two new prefects from each class will
    be patrolling the halls, in addition to the prefects from last year. This is only one of our many
    increased security measures. On a lighter note, let me introduce - or shall I say, reintroduce -
    this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Remus Lupin." Loud applause could be
    heard from every table, but especially the Gryffindor table. "May I remind you that the Forbidden
    Forest is still forbidden and illegal objects are still illegal - if anyone has any questions as to
    what is allowed in Hogwarts, please see Mr. Filch's office door, where the list is posted. And now,
    tuck in! The feast will begin." Harry, Ron, and Hermione grinned at one another and began eating
    hungrily. Once their plates had been cleared, they headed upstairs to the common room, Harry and Ron
    sinking into comfortable armchairs while Hermione sat crosslegged on the floor. They were the only
    ones in the room, seeing as how every other student had already gone to their dormitories to unpack.
    Harry leaned back in his chair.
    "Merlin, I've missed meals like that... I'm stuffed..." he laughed. Ron shook his head, looking at
    him.
    "You look like you've lost some weight, Harry, those muggles don't feed you properly..." Harry
    stifled a laugh.
    "Ron, you sound just like your mum!"
    "Oi, shut it!" he yelled back, laughing as well.
    The common room door opened and all three were shocked to see Professor Dumbledore stroll in.
    "Harry, I think there is something we need to discuss," he said gravely. Harry looked at Ron and
    Hermione, then nodded at Dumbledore, following him out the common room door.
    ************************************
    

Next Chapter 


	12. Chapter 12


    **Chapter 12: The One Who Sees Beyond**
    "Why don't we go to my office to talk," Dumbledore said in his grave voice. Harry nodded and
    followed, worried about what he was going to hear. He couldn't be in trouble already, said a
    little voice inside of him. He had a sudden realization - Dumbledore's attitude was so formal -
    maybe someone had died! One of the Order members maybe? The situation seemed so serious that
    Harry dreaded finding out what Dumbledore had to tell him. They reached the spiral staircase.
    "Twizzlers," said Dumbledore solemly, leading the way up the steps. Once inside the office, Harry
    sank into a well-padded armchair. Dumbledore sat quietly behind his desk. He sighed. "Harry, as
    you know, there was something that I would not tell you after the last Order meeting. I told you
    that it was secret and that you could not yet know. Now, it is time for me to tell you, for you
    must understand the gravity of this situation." Dumbledore paused, looking Harry in the eye.
    He gulped, but nodded back to Dumbledore, who continued. "Your prophesy is not the only one that
    pertains to Voldemort's downfall; in fact, there are several. As this will be a major turning
    point in history, many authentic Seers have claimed to have prophesies about this event. However,
    very few have to do with individual people. Yours did, Harry. So did Adele Fleur's."
    Harry shifted in the chair. _Another prophesy about Voldemort's downfall? And who was this
    person?_ The name sounded a bit familiar but he couldn't place it. Dumbledore continued.
    "Adele was a student here at Hogwarts many years ago. During her seventh year, when Voldemort had
    come into the open and identified himself to the wizarding community, she received a prophesy
    from a Seer in London. He told her about the strong impact that Voldemort would have on our world.
    He also told her that, before Voldemort could meet his downfall, she must die." The words rung in
    Harry's ears. She must die?? At least with his prophesy, he had a 50/50 chance of survival, but
    for the world to even have that chance, she had to die?? Harry stared at Dumbledore, his mouth
    hanging open soundlessly. He was so confused. Dumbledore sensed this, and tried to explain.
    "Harry, prophesies are very subjective. Who knows when or if it will even come true? The only
    reason that this has become worrisome is that the Seer who forewarned her of Voldemort's return
    was right. He has been correct in many other prophesies. I see no reason why this one will also
    come true." Harry stared at him stupidly for a moment.
    "But... she has to die? I don't get it. Why does she have anything to do with Voldemort?" Dumbledore
    sighed.
    "She has a special gift, Harry, one that makes her very valuable to Voldemort. And yes, she will
    die. However, she will not die until the time is right; she must die defending the one who will
    bring Voldemort's downfall." Now Harry was even MORE confused!
    "What... how... can I hear this prophesy?" he asked, still trying to understand. Dumbledore nodded
    and strode over to his cabinet, pulling out a smaller version of his Pensieve.
    "I decided to get this one a few months before the Death Eater attack. Now, I am glad that I did."
    he told Harry, placing it on the table in front of him. "These are not my memories, but the memories
    of others; memories that would be beneficial to the Order's cause. Some individuals, such as Ms. Fleur,
    have been kind enough to donate them in order to help." Stirring his wand in the small basin, a smoky
    figure arose: a man with dark skin and piercing brown eyes, his head shaved and a solitary gold chain
    hanging from his neck. His deep booming voice rang out across the room.
    _
    
    A great wizard will rise from poverty, with powers beyond all others
    His time in our earthly world will be twice
    He may be vanquished, but only by one;
    Before he can die, the death of the one who Sees beyond must occur.
    She will fall protecting the one who will vanquish the Dark Lord...
    
    _
    The figure sank slowly back into the basin. Harry stared in amazement. "What... what does all that mean?"
    he asked. Dumbledore placed the basin back inside his cabinet.
    "Well, the Dark Lord will rise twice, that has already occured. You are still the only one who can
    kill him, but Ms. Fleur must die first. She will die trying to protect you."
    "But... I don't even know her! How can someone I've never met die protecting me??" This was just getting
    more and more confusing!
    "You will meet her, Harry. You must, as the prophesy dictates. Fate will bring you two together."
    Harry sat in the armchair, thinking hard.
    "What does it mean by 'the one who Sees beyond'?" he asked.
    Dumbledore looked at him, eyes twinking a bit.
    "That is Adele Fleur's most precious gift: the ability to see those who have passed into the afterlife.
    She is an Anteawenan."
    ***********************************
    Adele Fleur awoke breathing rapidly, gasping for air and pulling herself up off the cold cement floor.
    She had had the nightmare again; the memory of her family being killed by Death Eaters still ran through
    her head... She shook herself, trying to rid her mind of the thought. Opening her eyes, she found herself
    in a strange place, and suddenly the events of the night before flooded back to her. Peter Pettigrew... in
    her apartment... he had seemed nervous, she had offered him some tea... then he had Stunned her... she
    didn't remember much after that. She looked at her surroundings: a dark, cold cement room without windows,
    and some condensation forming on the walls. She recoiled from the floor in horror, it was wet and dirty
    and smelled horrible. _How could I have fallen asleep in a place like this?_ she thought to herself,
    coming to the conclusion that after whatever Peter did to her, he put a sleeping spell on her. Why would
    he do that?? she thought to herself, but then the answer hit her like ice, deep inside her stomach. He
    was a traitor. She had known there was a spy inside the Order before her family's death... it must have
    been Peter. Mentally, she kicked herself for leaving the wizarding world and having no contact with
    anyone. _How could I be so stupid??_ she thought. _I haven't even used my powers in 15 years...
    I don't know who is dead or alive and I'm too afraid to find out..._ She sighed to herself. She had
    gotten herself into this mess, and she would have to be the one to get out. She was really beginning
    to wish that Dumbledore had provided some information about the 15 years she had missed when she had
    seen him last week; at least then she might have known Peter was the traitor! Now, she felt confused
    and stupid. _What else don't I know,_ she thought bitterly to herself. The sound of muffled footsteps
    reached her ears, and she sat up straight. She groaned inwardly. What now??
    The heavy iron door creaked open. A man, this time not Peter, someone else she didn't recognize,
    entered. He nodded his head slightly at her.
    "The Dark Lord will see you now," he said, his voice low and dangerous. She rose slowly from the floor,
    realizing she had no defense against this man or Voldemort. Silently, she followed him, limping slightly
    from her night spent sleeping on the cement floor. They entered a dark room, lit only by a few torches
    on the walls, with an intimidatingly high ceiling. A blast of cold air hit Adele as she entered, taking
    her breath away. At the end of the room, she saw a high-backed chair with the most powerful wizard ever
    sitting in it. His red eyes lit up and his thin mouth twisted into a mocking smile as he watched Adele
    walk towards him.
    "And so, we meet again," he said menacingly, his voice soft. He spoke to the man beside her, his eyes
    never leaving hers. "Thank you MacNair. You are dismissed." Bowing low and mumbling a thank you, the man
    backed out of the room quickly.
    "Why have you brought me here?" Adele asked boldly, her voice loud and unwavering. Voldemort laughed
    quietly, an evil and cold laugh.
    "You know why. You are part of Potter's prophesy. Did you really believe that I would allow you to
    enter back into the wizarding world, join the Order, and die protecting that little brat so that
    he could come and try to kill me? Of course not." He chuckled, his laughter still cold. His eyes
    looked into hers. "I can see that you are confused. I know that muggle-loving fool Dumbledore has
    not told you everything; too often, to try to save people pain, he simply hides the truth from them.
    I, on the other hand, have never tried to save pain from anyone. Pain makes you who you are. Without
    pain," he whispered, pointing his wand at her, "how can you ever grow stronger?"
    Adele began to shake; she was so frightened. However, she still stood tall, looking him in the eye,
    refusing to show any signs of weakness. Voldemort laughed again, quietly.
    "You are still the same silly little girl you were 15 years ago. Crucio!" he cried, as she fell to
    the floor screaming.
    ************************
    


	13. Chapter 13


    Disclaimer: I still own no one but Adele!! Please don't sue me!
    **Chapter 13**
    Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged slowly down the halls of Hogwarts towards the dungeons.
    "Potions..." Ron muttered bitterly to himself, shaking his head. "Why are we in this class again
    this year?" Neither Harry nor Hermione answered him; instead they continued walking slowly down
    the hallway, being careful not to walk so slowly as to be late to class. They were trying extra
    hard this year not to give Snape too many reasons to take away points from Gryffindor. On Monday,
    the first day of Potions this year, he had already given them a lecture about his expectations.
    "As you are now sixth years and N.E.W.T. level students, I expect to see an increased maturity
    level. I know that this will be nearly impossible for many of you," he said, sneering at Parvati
    and Lavendar as they flipped through a "Teen Witch" magazine hidden under Lavendar's desk.
    "You should know that Potions this year will be much more advanced than last year, and mistakes could
    be potentially lethal. However, as you have all scored high enough to get into this class, you should
    be able to refrain from killing yourselves." He glared at Harry. "Or shall I say, MOST of you
    scored high enough..."
    Harry shook himself internally, trying to get rid of the idea that he could be killed in Potions,
    of all things. He found himself staring at the heavy door to the Potions room; Ron and Hermione
    were entering. Sighing to himself, he too pushed the door open, expecting to see an angry Snape
    staring up at him from his desk. Instead, he saw a blonde curly-haired witch, slightly on the
    plump side, surveying the room from Snape's desk, a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.
    Ron stopped in his tracks.
    "Who's that?" he hissed. Hermione nudged him.
    "We must have a substitute today, Ron, go sit down!" she whispered. Grudgingly, he took a seat at
    a table with Harry, Hermione and Seamus. The woman at the front of the room stood up, still smiling.
    _She reminds me of Umbridge,_ Harry thought to himself.
    "Good morning, class! My name is Professor Macalester and I will be teaching you today, Professor
    Snape had other needs to attend to..." She scrawled her name in loopy letters on the chalkboard.
    The class ended up being more boring than Harry could have imagined. Today's potion was quite simple,
    a headache remedy, and most of the class was done halfway through the period. Hermione, who had
    finished nearly 15 minutes before Ron and Harry, was doodling in her notebook.
    "I think I'll start that essay for Charms tonight, won't you?" she asked suddenly. Harry groaned
    inwardly and Ron looked like he had swallowed a lemon.
    "Charms? Essay? The one that's not due for nearly a week?" Ron asked her wearily.
    "Well of course, silly, we only have one! It would just be so nice to have it out of the way."
    Ron made a face at Harry behind her back and they both had to stifle their laughter. They turned
    around suddenly as they heard a rap on the desk next to them.
    "Children, please. If you are done with your project, you need to be sitting quietly or working on
    other homework! There is no talking allowed during class!" Professor Macalester looked at them
    warningly, the stupidly fake smile still on her face. Reaching for his notebook, Harry began to
    write.
    _What's with this cow, she seems a little strict. Kinda seems like Umbridge to me._
    Looking to make sure she wasn't watching, he slid the notebook across the table to Ron, who read it
    and then pulled out his own quill to answer.
    _Yeah really, we finish before everyone else and just get yelled at. D'you know who the other
    prefect is that was chosen for our year?_
    Harry grabbed the notebook back quickly, just before Macalester had turned back around. _Close one,_
    he thought to himself. He wrote back:
    _Nah, I haven't heard yet. But I'm sure we'll find out at the prefect meeting tonight. How are
    things with you and Hermione?_
    _The usual. What's with you and blondie over there?_
    Harry read this a few times, confused. He looked up at Ron, who nodded to his left. A plain-looking
    girl with dirty blonde hair and pale green eyes smiled up at him from her cauldron excitedly.
    Looking away quickly, Harry scrawled back a message to Ron:
    _Who is she? What do you mean?_
    _Dunno mate, but she definitely has a thing for you..._
    Ron snickered as Harry read this final message. Frowning, he shook his head at Ron.
    "Of course she doesn't, what are you playing at? I don't even know her, never seen her before in my
    life..." he hissed across the table to Ron.
    "Boys! I believe I told you to work silently? Ten points from Gryffindor!" Professor Macalester's
    singsong voice broke the hushed whispers. Harry and Ron looked at each other, glaring.
    "Cow," Ron mouthed from across the table, and they both fell into silent fits of laughter. Hermione gave
    them both a reproachful look, gathering her books as the bell rang for the next class.
    ******************************
    The Headmaster of Hogwarts paced his office floor, hands clasped behind his back. This was taking too
    long; he knew that something had to be wrong. He was too afraid to guess at what might have happened.
    A knock on the door behind him caused him to turn around. His lips curled slightly into a smile that did
    not reach his worried eyes. "Enter," he said.
    "Severus," he greeted his Potions master warmly as the door opened. "What did you find?"
    Professor Snape shook his head.
    "She's gone. Boxes are all packed, everything's in its place. Looks like there was a struggle though...
    I doubt she left of her own accord."
    Dumbledore exhaled, shutting his eyes tightly.
    "Then you know what you must do, Severus. I will keep Ms. Macalester here as long as necessary to watch
    over your classes. Good luck; you will need it."
    Professor Snape nodded in thanks, and strolled briskly out the door, robes billowing behind him.
    ****************************
    Harry sat in a chair in the Gryffindor common room with Ron, pouring over their Transfiguration homework.
    Ron was studying a chart that depicted the wand movements needed to change a stone into a chicken; so far,
    it had become a turkey and a crow.
    "Aaaahhhh!" he yelled, as the small rock turned into a vulture. "Finite Incantem!" The vulture disappeared
    and the pebble fell to the ground, narrowly missing Harry's head. He did not even look up.
    "Watch it, Ron," he muttered, his eyes still on the book he was reading.
    "Someone's in a bad mood today," Ron mumbled, turning to ask Hermione a question.
    Harry was in a bad mood. Most of the day he had been preoccupied with thoughts of Adele Fleur's prophesy.
    Who was she? He just couldn't figure it out. He also didn't like the thought that someone's life depended
    on him. _Come on, Potter, the WORLD depends on you,_ a little voice inside his head said. He
    shivered at the thought. He just wanted to be a kid; he didn't need this kind of responsibility....
    The common room door banged open and Professor McGonagall entered. The cheerful chatter that had filled
    the room only moments before was silent; all eyes were on the Transfiguration professor as the Gryffindors
    waited to find out who was in trouble. Finally, she spoke, her voice slightly unsteady.
    "Mr. Potter, come with me." He sighed to himself. _Not AGAIN,_ he thought. Silently, he followed her,
    down the stairs and through a few corridors to the headmaster's office. She knocked firmly on the door.
    "Enter," said the muffled voice of Professor Dumbledore from inside. Opening the door, Harry was surprised
    to see almost the entire Order of the Phoenix assembled inside; every chair was taken and people were
    crammed all along the walls. Quite a few of them looked up at Harry, some puzzled, others clearly
    resentful. Confused, he walked quickly to where Tonks sat in a puffy blue armchair and seated himself on
    the floor. Professor McGonagall took her place beside the desk. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
    "I have called this emergency meeting to tell you all that Adele Fleur has been kidnapped. As of now, we
    are uncertain as to her exact location, but we assume that Voldemort is behind this." Several people
    gasped. Mad-Eye Moody, seated to the left of Tonks, showed no emotion; he didn't even move, except for
    his magical eye, which was spinning quite dizzily. Harry looked up at Remus Lupin, sitting across the
    room from him; instead of looking surprised, he just looked saddened, a tear running down his face.
    After a few questions from Order members and a formal meeting set for that evening at Number 12 Grimmauld
    Place, all of the members left the office, with the exception of the teachers. Dumbledore placed a hand
    on Remus' shoulder.
    "Remus, your classes for tomorrow will be cancelled. Please use the day to collect yourself. I will be
    in to check on you later." Nodding, Remus stood also, and left the room. Dumbledore turned to Harry.
    "Mr. Potter, under no circumstances are you to leave the Hogwarts grounds. Lord Voldemort is quite
    obviously attempting to lure you to him; he must have you present to kill Ms. Fleur, and he will want
    to do this as soon as possible, as it is the first step to his rise in power. I am sure you understand
    the importance of this situation." Harry nodded, and Dumbledore smiled. "Good. Then you are free to
    return to your common room. Please remember to be safe." Turning, Harry left Dumbledore's office and
    walked alone down the spiral staircase.
    ******************************
    Adele Fleur lay cold and shivering on the wet cement, coughing and gasping breathlessly for air. _The
    torture probably would have killed me if I didn't have that stupid prophesy..._ she thought to
    herself. In this state, she would rather die. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm herself.
    She knew he couldn't kill her now; she had to be protecting the "one who will vanquish the Dark Lord",
    whoever that was. She knew Voldemort had said something about "Potter's prophesy"... maybe this
    person was somehow related to James? _Only one way to find out, _she thought to herself.
    _I'll have to talk to Sirius..._ Clenching her eyes shut she whispered an incantation and Sirius'
    name. She was breathing hard; maybe this wouldn't work. She didn't know, she hadn't done it in nearly
    fifteen years... Then, inside her head, she heard a husky voice.
    "Adele? I knew you'd come back."
    "Sirius!" she answered him, tears running down here face. "I need to know what's going on..."
    ******************************
    


	14. Chapter 14


    **Chapter 14 **
    Harry paced nervously across the small classroom that had been chosen for the prefects' meeting place.
    He had assumed the meeting would be cancelled, but because no one had said so, all of the prefects
    were gathered there, awaiting Professor Dumbledore's arrival.
    _There's no way he'll come,_ Harry thought to himself. _Not after what happened this afternoon..._
    Sighing to himself, he sat down in one of the old desks that filled the small, crowded classroom.
    Ron and Hermione were already seated, staring at the blackboard and listening to the chatter that
    filled the room. Harry looked around him. A boy from Hufflepuff that Harry didn't know had been chosen
    to be Head Boy and, much to his dismay, Cho Chang had been chosen Head Girl. Although he was happy to
    have been chosen to be a prefect, he secretly hoped that he wouldn't have to spend much time around
    Cho... after their relationship last year, things were still weird. His thoughts were interrupted as
    the classroom door creaked open. Professor McGonagall entered, a stern expression on her face.
    "As the Headmaster has some urgent business to attend to, I have been sent to supervise this year's
    first prefect meeting," she said, taking a seat at the desk at the front of the room. "Tonight, we will
    be choosing the dates for Hogsmeade trips and will be considering a suggestion that many students
    have brought up about having a Halloween dance after our traditional Halloween feast..." As interested
    in being a prefect as he was, Harry couldn't help but let his mind drift. Would he even be allowed to
    go to Hogsmeade anymore? Why did it seem like he was always trapped? All Dumbledore ever told him
    was 'stay inside, don't get into trouble.' Even when he did this, bad stuff still seemed to happen!
    He was sick and tired of staying inside and being good, tired of having the prophesy hanging over his
    head day and night. The sooner he could kill Voldemort, the better... then maybe his life would be
    normal for once. He would be just like everyone else!
    He was suddenly startled by a jab in his side from Hermione. "Pay attention!" she hissed. McGonagall
    seemed not to have noticed that his mind was elsewhere.
    "All right, now that we have chosen dates for Hogsmeade, we will move on to Halloween celebrations..."
    Harry felt a bit guilty. He HAD been chosen as a prefect, he knew he would have these duties. He
    decided to give another attempt to listen, tuning in again to Professor McGonagall's voice.
    "I believe many students would enjoy another dance like the one that was held two years ago, and we
    have had approximately 30 students approach us about this idea. I personally do not appreciate these
    affairs, but as Professor Dumbledore believes it would be beneficial to the student body... Well,
    a dance would take lots of preparation and planning. If we were to have one, who would like to be
    on the committee to plan it?" Hermione's hand shot up immediately, as did most of the girls in the room.
    She sent a scathing glance in Ron's direction, and he hurriedly raised his hand too. She turned to
    Harry and gave him a stern look; he halfheartedly raised his hand also, although the prospect of another
    dance scared him slightly. At least this time he wouldn't be forced to get a date; he could just stay
    in his room and do homework if he really wanted to.
    Professor McGonagall jotted down the names on a piece of parchment. "Okay then, that settles it. We
    will have a dance on Halloween, directly after the feast. I will look into finding a band and I will
    tell you at our next prefect's meeting, which will take place..." Harry's mind was wandering again.
    A dance. Why did there have to be a dance? They had never had a Halloween dance before, never... Looking
    up, he noticed that the other students were beginning to file out of the room. Shaking his head to
    clear it, he stood up and gathered his things, following Ron and Hermione out of the room.
    "Ron," he asked, "I didn't notice, who is the other prefect that got chosen for our year?" Ron grinned
    and began to snicker.
    "Your girlfriend from Potions," he said laughing. Harry blushed furiously.
    "Whaddaya mean?? I don't even know her," he mumbled angrily.
    "Who would we happen to be talking about?" Hermione asked calmly.
    "Blondie, right up there," Ron replied, pointing to the girl walking down the hall in front of them.
    Hermione rolled her eyes.
    "Her name is Rachel, for your information. She's in Hufflepuff." Hermione said. Ron frowned, looking
    confused.
    "How come she's never been in our Potions class before?" he asked. Hermione laughed.
    "Well, since we've always had Potions with the Slytherins before this year and she is in Hufflepuff,
    I think that would explain it pretty well..." she answered sarcastically. Ron looked embarassed.
    "Oh.. yeah..." He mumbled. Harry laughed at him, glad that the conversation had moved on from Rachel
    herself. He didn't need another person to follow him around, worshipping him like the Creevy brothers
    did.
    ******************************
    Adele Fleur lay unmoving on the cold cement floor. To any normal bystander, it would seem that she was
    talking to herself; however, in her mind, she could hear Sirius and talk back to him because of her
    powers as an Anteawenan.
    "So..." she said to Sirius, still trying to sort through all of the new information she had heard about
    the prophesy, "Whatever happened to Lily and James? Why aren't they taking care of Harry? Are they out
    on Order business?" There was a pause.
    "Adele," Sirius' voice answered. "You never heard about Lily and James?"
    "Er.. no... " she replied, confused.
    "I will explain," came another voice, this one quieter and more smooth than Sirius'.
    "JAMES??" Adele cried. "You're dead?? What's going on?"
    "Lily and I were killed nearly a week after your family was attacked. Voldemort could not kill Harry;
    he was left with a scar on his forehead, the 'marking as an equal' part of the prophesy." Adele's mind
    was swimming with thoughts. _Everything has changed so much,_ she thought wearily. _Maybe I
    should have stayed inside the wizarding world for the past 15 years, at least then I would have
    known a little of what was going on..._
    "I'm so sorry, James," she whispered. "I should have been there for Harry. I should have taken care of
    him..."
    "Adele, there is nothing you could have done to change it. It was fated to happen," said a soothing
    female voice.
    "Lily! Oh, Lily, I wish you were here right now. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do anymore, You-
    Know-Who has me right where he wants me... I'll be joining you all very soon, I'm sure..."
    "Not just yet, Adele. There are still tasks that you must accomplish before you pass into the afterlife."
    Lily's voice answered.
    "What are they?" Adele asked, on the verge of tears, knowing very well that Lily could not answer.
    "I cannot say for certain. But the prophesy will eventually come true, fate always wins..."
    ***************************
    The Order of the Phoenix meeting that took place that night at Number 12 Grimmauld Place was a hectic
    affair. Standing up and raising his hands, Dumbledore silenced the hurried whispers that filled the
    room.
    "This meeting will come to order. The first order of business is the disappearance of Ms. Adele Fleur-"
    The silence between the members was broken by an unsteady sob from Remus Lupin. Wiping his eyes, he
    look blearily up at Dumbledore.
    "Sorry," he whispered. Dumbledore continued.
    "As I informed you this afternoon, Ms. Fleur has disappeared. We are still awaiting Severus' arrival
    to this meeting, until then I am not sure as to what the correct course of action should be. However,
    my suspicions are that she has been taken by Voldemort. A rescue mission will not take place until
    I have full details of her whereabouts." Remus stood up angrily.
    "You're just going to let him have her? Let her suffer? Does she even know what's going on? What if-"
    "Remus," Dumbledore said gently. "She cannot die. It is impossible, unless Harry Potter is physically
    near her."
    "So I'm sure she's being tortured! Probably right now she's in more pain than is possible for any
    other human!" Dumbledore cringed.
    "I'm afraid that this may be so. However, until we know for sure, we cannot rush in. We cannot risk
    this, Remus. Harry Potter must be kept away while we are rescuing her. Please Remus," he added gently,
    "this is hard on all of us. Don't make it worse than it has to be." Nodding, Remus returned to his
    seat, somewhat sheepishly, glancing around at the other Order members. "Our next order of business,"
    Dumbledore began, "will be to-"
    He stopped abruptly as a loud bang was heard in the foyer. Loud voices and screams could be heard.
    Holding up a hand to motion that the members of the Order should stay seated, he walked quickly
    to the door. Opening it, Mrs. Black's voice filled the kitchen.
    "FILTHY MUDBLOODS, SCUM OF THE EARTH, HOW DARE YOU DISHONOR THE MOST NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK-"
    Leaving the kitchen, Dumbledore returned in a few minutes after silencing the portrait along with a
    very harassed looking Severus Snape beside him.
    "Goddamn picture..." he mumbled as he strode haughtily over to his seat.
    "You're getting quite good at these dramatic entrances, aren't you, Severus?" Tonks asked, grinning.
    He shot her a death glare. Dumbledore cleared his throat and they both looked up.
    "Adele Fleur?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. Snape stood up quickly but gracefully.
    "She is being held inside of one of the Dark Lord's most protected chambers. It is possible to reach
    her; however, it must be done quickly. Within the next hour." The Order members gasped.
    "An hour, Severus? That's a little too short, I don't know if we can organize anything that fast..."
    Arthur Weasley said hesitantly, frowning and scratching his chin.
    "We have no choice," Snape replied defiantly. "It is now or never. Within an hour, they will have
    installed protection to keep us out." Dumbledore surveyed the Order members gravely.
    "Then it must be done."
    ********************************
    Yes, I know, a cliffy again... I apologize. Just make sure you review, and you'll know what happens
    soon! I always update quickly!
    


	15. Chapter 15


    Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters!
    **Chapter 15: Enjoy Every Day**
    Adele Fleur felt sick. Very sick. Rolling onto her side, she threw up what little food she had
    in her stomach. She was starving; she hadn't eaten since she had arrived, but had no idea how
    long ago that had been. She closed her eyes wistfully, wishing for her warm bed and a cup of
    tea. Sitting up awkwardly, she called Sirius again. He answered quickly.
    "Adele?" he asked softly.
    "Yeah..." she mumbled.
    "How are you doing?"
    "Er... a little better," she lied. Sirius sighed.
    "Hang in there sweetheart, I'm sure they're coming soon..."
    "I wish I could die," she mumbled, covering her face and lying back on the floor of her cell.
    The last time they had tortured her, she had felt pain beyond imagination. It was as if the
    feeling would never leave her. She spoke again to Sirius.
    "Who else has crossed over to your side? How many other Order members?"
    "Well, the most recent was Sturgis, he arrived a little before me... You were still there when
    Gideon and Fabian Prewett died, right?" Adele mumbled something that sounded similar to a "yes."
    Sirius continued.
    Well... Benjy Fenwick, Edgar Bones, Dorcas Meadowes... and Marlene."
    Adele's eyes snapped open. "Marlene? McKinnon? She's dead?" she whispered.
    "Hello, Adele," came a sorrowful female voice, the laughter and mischief that Adele remembered
    gone.
    "Marlene..." Adele murmured, managing a smile. "Don't sound so worried... The prophesy says I
    have to die, I'll be with you soon." Marlene laughed softly.
    "Enjoy every day you have while you still can. Have you talked to Remus?"
    "Not yet," Adele answered. "I suppose that I will, if and when they ever rescue me..."
    "They will," said Marlene's voice softly. "You will get to see Remus again, and say your goodbyes
    before the prophesy takes effect. I can see it in your future. Being on this side of the veil
    gives you a very different perspective of life on Earth."
    Adele smiled, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you," she replied quietly.
    **************************
    Harry paced the common room floor, running his hands through his hair. It was dark in the common
    room and about a quarter past midnight. Remus Lupin stood, unseen by Harry, in the shadow of the
    doorway. _Merlin, he looks just like James when he does that,_ Remus thought to himself, smiling.
    He cleared his throat quietly. Harry still didn't turn around.
    "Harry," he called softly. Harry stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to face him.
    "P-Professor Lupin," Harry stuttered, obviouly relieved but at the same time frightened. "I just had
    a bad dream, about an hour ago... But I didn't want to wake anyone up, I didn't want anything to
    happen like... last time..." He trailed off.
    "What happened in the dream?" Remus asked curiously, sitting on one of the common room chairs. Harry
    sat down also.
    "Well," he started, running his hands through his hair again, "I was in this really dark place, at
    first I thought it was the dungeons in Hogwarts, but I don't think it was..." Remus nodded as if
    he understood. Harry plunged ahead. "So there was this person on the ground, but she wasn't moving,
    but everyone around her was fighting... all of the Order members and some Death Eaters... There were
    a lot of bodies on the ground..." He rapidly told the story, hoping that it would not come true.
    Remus sighed.
    "Well Harry, then you know exactly what I have come to tell you. The Order has just gotten back from
    a very risky mission to rescue Adele Fleur. It was successful. She has been put into a dreamless
    sleep for the time being, because she is very sick." There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.
    "Although we managed to rescue her, there were many injuries; Nymphadora Tonks, Hestia Jones, and
    Bill Weasley are all at St. Mungo's right now in stable condition. They aren't quite sure how bad
    the injuries are but they don't think they will be life threatening." Harry led out his breath,
    not even realizing he had been holding it.
    "But everything's going to be okay?" Remus smiled at the question.
    "Yes, Harry. Now get some sleep." Harry nodded and went to bed, but didn't fall asleep until the
    early morning hours, after tossing and turning all night.
    ************************
    Harry was groggy and exhausted the next morning. He managed to tell Ron and Hermione about his late-
    night conversation with Remus but he wasn't sure how he did, as he was so tired he hardly remembered
    it. His day of classes went by as one huge blur, ending with his 9:00 PM prefect duties. Even more
    exhausted and just wishing he could go to sleep, he wandered down the hallway with Ron and Hermione
    as they walked to the staircase where the prefects met before starting their duties. Reaching the
    stairwell, Harry felt his stomach drop. Rachel was sitting on the steps, her blonde hair falling into
    her face and her back slightly hunched as she studied a notebook in front of her. Harry's mind began
    to work faster than it had all day. He knew that each night on duty, the prefects roamed the hall
    in pairs; all he would have to do would be to make sure he was with Ron instead of Rachel. _Oh please
    please please...."_ he thought to himself, glancing at Ron and trying to make eye contact with
    him. Instead, Ron gave him a sly look and winked. "Ron!" he hissed, as they stopped at the stairs.
    Ron cleared his throat.
    "Well, I think that I will go with Hermione tonight, so I guess that leaves you two. We'll be doing
    the first three floors and the dungeons, you guys can do the rest." Ron winked, taking Hermione's hand
    and dragging her along away from Harry and Rachel. Harry stared nervously at the ground.
    "Umm, so where did you want to start?" he mumbled. She looked up at him, smirking.
    "Harry Potter. Well, for the most famous wizard alive, the "Boy Who Lived," you're a little shy, don't
    you think?" She laughed. He stared at her, confused; his mind still was not working because of
    lack of sleep. She grabbed his arm. "Come on, we'll start at the top and work our way down," she said,
    pulling him up the steps. He came, albeit reluctantly. Rachel, he soon found out, was not at all the
    quiet girl he had thought she was. In fact, she wouldn't shut up.
    "...so anyways, no one really likes that Macalester lady, seems like a bit of a hag to me, she is
    always ordering us around and pretending that her class is so hard, but she never assigns any real
    homework, I haven't quite figured out what her deal is..." After about five minutes, Harry shook his
    head and looked her in the eye.
    "Do you always talk this much?" he asked irritably. She laughed loudly, holding onto the wall for
    support.
    "Ah, see, THERE'S the real Harry Potter! Not shy at all. I truly believe that life needs a little
    sarcasm now and then!" He looked at her and rolled his eyes, causing her to laugh harder.
    _Well,_ he thought to himself. _At least she's keeping me awake during my prefect duties..._
    On the fifth floor, Harry and Rachel came across a group of second years playing a game of Exploding
    Snap.
    "Now, now children, off to bed! We don't want to take away ten points from Ravenclaw, do we?" Rachel
    asked in a sing-song voice, mocking Professor Macalester. The second years fell onto the floor with
    laughter, tears running down their faces at Rachel's impersonation of their least-favorite teacher.
    Rachel winked at Harry, and resumed her normal tone. "Really guys, it's past your curfew. Back to your
    common room, all of you!" Still laughing, the group headed off to their rooms. Harry looked at her,
    amazed.
    "You let them all go? Hermione would have given them all a week's detentions for 'disturbing the
    peace' or something!" Rachel laughed.
    "Yeah, that's probably the reason they didn't make me a prefect the first time around... Dumbledore
    knows I won't be enforcing any real rules." Harry laughed at this. Rachel smiled. "Anyways, it's
    more fun this way."
    **************************
    Heading back to his room after the round had been completed, Harry fell into his bed, still exhausted.
    As he closed his eyes, he thought of Rachel. Sure, she had been fun to hang out with, but she was
    definitely not his type. _I would never date a girl like that,_ he thought to himself. _Ron was
    wrong, really wrong..._ After determining that he would have liked to have borrowed some of
    Rachel's energy, Harry fell into a dreamlessly dark sleep.
    *************************
    I am trying very hard to make Rachel "different" - not the normal Mary Sue fanfiction-type
    character! If it doesn't seem like it yet, hopefully it will soon!


	16. Chapter 16


    **Chapter 16: The Fight**
    Remus Lupin sat in the darkened hospital wing, staring down at the unmoving body of Adele
    Fleur. He glanced at the clock on the wall: 4:15 AM. Sighing, he looked outside into the darkness;
    dawn had not yet come. He had not slept all night, instead choosing to be near Adele. Smiling
    softly to himself, he moved closer to her and ran his fingers through her silky brown hair.
    Lowering his face closer to hers, he inhaled her scent. It was just how he remembered it, and
    memories immediately came rushing back to him. The day he had proposed. Their graduation from
    Hogwarts. Laughing as they ran through the rain and mud in Hogsmeade. All of their friends
    together, laughing and telling jokes. Adele in his arms, crying. The fight...
    _The very last time I talked to her,_ he thought mournfully, staring into her now-serene
    face. _After all these years..._ Well, she must have forgiven him. He hoped so, after 15
    years... who could hold a grudge that long? _She could,_ he reminded himself, remembering
    her fiery temper and how angry she got at him sometimes. Sighing again, he placed his hand
    softly on her cheek, running his fingers down to her chin.
    "Adele, please wake up. I still love you," he whispered.
    ***************************
    Harry Potter was in a bad mood once again. The grade on his latest Potions exam was well below
    what he thought it should be, as he had noticed that Draco Malfoy had also had very similar results
    and his grade was much higher. "Snape... so bloody prejudiced... Slytherins..." he muttered as
    he stomped down the hall. "Quiet!" he snapped at a giggling group of Hufflepuffs, who looked quite
    offended as they scurried away quickly.
    "Potter, what are you doing yelling at my Hufflepuff girls just for talking in the hallway?" Said an
    indignant sounding voice behind him. He turned quickly and found himself face-to-face with Rachel, a
    sarcastic smile on her face and a mischevious twinkle in her eye. He glared at her before spinning
    around and continuing down the hallway. "Wait up!" she yelled after him.
    "What do you want," he mumbled through gritted teeth. She stared at him, worry creasing her brow.
    "Well, um, actually I was just gonna ask if you wanted to walk to Care of Magical Creatures together,
    but nevermind I guess..." she trailed off, looking confused at Harry's anger. "I didn't know people
    laughing made you this mad." She walked off.
    _Am I good at getting girls pissed off at me or what,_ he thought angrily to himself as he stalked
    down the hallway and out the door towards Hagrid's hut. _Cho was one thing, she was never happy to
    begin with, but Rachel is constantly happy and I STILL am able make her mad!_ He kicked a small
    rock in front of him angrily, but instead of moving, it stayed stuck in the ground, causing him to trip.
    Fuming, he stood up quickly, red in the face and with intense pain in his foot. Looking around, he
    hoped that no one had seen him, but realized with a sinking heart that there was a large group behind
    him. The Slytherins. Most of his N.E.W.T. level classes had students from all houses, as they were so
    small, and he had forgotten that the Slytherins would be here today.... He could hear Pansy Parkinson's
    annoying laughter all the way from across the lawn.
    "What's wrong, Potter? Out of school so long you forgot how to walk?" Draco's voice called.
    Looking straight ahead, Harry continued walking and tried to ignore the Slytherin's comments.
    "Scarface is attacking rocks now! Oooh, Potter, watch out, there's another one!" Harry flinched as a
    small pebble hit him in the back of the head. He had had enough. Snape, Rachel, and now Malfoy...
    Clenching his fists, he turned around.
    "Leave me alone," he muttered. The crowd of Slytherins laughed.
    "What was that, Potter?" Draco asked, a sinister grin on his face, his blonde hair gleaming in the
    sunlight. "Did you want to try to attack us? There's oh," he paused, counting the people behind him,
    "eight of us... and only one of you!" He laughed again, as did most of the group. _Slimy little git,_
    Harry thought to himself angrily. He was beyond common sense at this point.
    "I'm not afraid of you, Malfoy. I'm not afraid of any of you," he whispered dangerously, recklessly.
    He felt like he had never had this much power in his life, and the prospect of using it against Malfoy
    was very tempting. Too tempting.
    Draco stumbled backward, shocked at the evil glint in Harry's eye. He was quickly realizing that this
    was a bad situation.
    "Come on, guys," he mumbled, walking off towards Hagrid's hut. The Slytherins followed, disappointed.
    "Aw, come on Draco..." he heard Goyle whine.
    "Shut up," Draco hissed, walking away rapidly.
    Harry couldn't decide if he was happy or upset. True, he had won the standoff with Malfoy, but just by
    looking at him? He wished he would have stayed, so he could have cursed him into oblivion. Sighing to
    himself, he followed the Slytherins, at a considerable distance, to Hagrid's. When he got there he
    found Ron and Hermione and stood by them. Hermione gave him a sharp glance.
    "What took you so long?" she whispered. "Class is about to start!" Harry just shrugged, attempting to
    clear his mind of his anger long enough to listen to Hagrid explain what exactly the rainbow-colored
    slimy worm-like creatures were in front of him.
    *****************************
    Adele Fleur opened her eyes. She gasped as she looked around her, amazed at her surroundings: the cool
    air, the clean white sheets, the blankness of the white walls. This place was so familiar, she thought.
    Where am I? Then suddenly, it hit her: the cold dark cell, the fight, the bodies... She didn't remember
    much after that. Turning to her right, she was surprised to see Remus asleep on a chair. He had huge
    dark circles under his eyes, she wasn't sure if she should wake him or not. Just the the door creaked
    open and Madam Pomfrey entered, carrying some medical supplies which she stored in a cupboard. Adele
    lay back against her pillow, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep. She had to fight to keep a
    smile off her face: she remembered doing this when she had been in the hospital wing during her fourth
    year with the flu, in order to listen in on teachers' conversations. She heard the door shut again
    and opened her eyes; Madam Pomfrey had left. Turning onto her side, she placed her hand on Remus'
    forehead. He didn't move.
    "Rem... are you okay?" she whispered, pushing her hand through his tousled hair. He stirred a bit and
    opened his eyes, looking blearily up at her. He inhaled sharply.
    "Adele!" he said, amazed. "Well, hello!"
    "Hi," she said a bit timidly, smiling at him.
    "How are you feeling?" he asked immediately, looking worried.
    "I'm okay... a little sore, but I'm fine. Was anyone hurt?" She looked around the room but found it
    empty except for herself.
    "Yes... Tonks, Bill Weasley and Hestia Jones. They're at St. Mungo's. You're just here because
    Dumbledore wanted to keep an eye on you." She frowned. All those people hurt, just to save her!
    "You didn't have to..." she mumbled. She looked up into Remus' hauntingly dark brown eyes.
    "Adele," he began. "I'm sorry about the fight..." She laughed.
    "The fight? Remus, that was fifteen years ago!" He smiled a tiny bit.
    "I know, but.... it was the last time I talked to you..." He looked down.
    "Sorry," she whispered. "I would have thought you would have been over that by now... Sirius told me
    you two were getting along well again!" she said brightly. He looked at her sharply.
    "Sirius? So you've been talking to him?" he asked, his expression unreadable.
    "Well, what else was I supposed to do? Remus, I was trapped in that room for God knows how long!"
    she answered, exasperated.
    "You could have talked to Lily... or Marlene..."
    "I did!" she exclaimed, now clearly becoming angry. "I wanted to know what was going on in your world!
    Lily and Marlene have been on the other side for so long, they didn't know! I had to ask Sirius!"
    Remus leaned back into his chair grumpily, crossing his arms. She glared at him.
    "Grow up, Remus. Stop acting like this." He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Madam
    Pomfrey entering the room again. She hurried over to Adele with some medicine.
    "Oh good, dear, you're awake... take some of this..." After forcing some foul tasting potion down Adele's
    throat, she turned to Remus.
    "No visitors now, she needs rest! Come back this afternoon..." Grumpily Remus rose and retreated from
    the room. After Madam Pomfrey left, Adele lay in bed, still awake, unable to sleep.
    "Sirius," she called.
    "Yes," came the answer.
    "What's wrong with him? I thought you two were over this?" Sirius gave a bark-like laugh.
    "I thought so too. Apparently not. He still seems jealous... Doesn't he realize I'm dead?" he asked,
    jokingly.
    "Sirius!" Adele said warningly. "I'm not kidding! He's too overprotective... just like he always was..."
    "He had reason to be," Sirius answered quietly. "Did you ever tell him exactly what happened... you know,
    between us?"
    "No," she whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "That would just make it worse."
    *******************************
    Want to know what happens next?? THEN REVIEW!! Please!!!!
    More to come soon!!!


	17. Chapter 17


    Please review!!!!!!!!!
    **Chapter 17: Forgive & Forget**
    Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out of the front gates of Hogwarts towards the village of
    Hogsmeade. The mood was light as they talked and laughed, stomping through the colorful autumn
    leaves that had formed a layer over the hard ground. An October breeze had begun to
    pick up, and Harry put his hands into his pockets and pulled his cloak tighter around him,
    glad to be warm. As they reached the village, Hermione paused for a moment.
    "I need to go to shopping for a new dress robe... shall I meet you two later? Or
    did you want to come with?" she asked. Ron looked at Harry hurriedly.
    "Uhh, why don't we meet you later. How about 12:30 in the Three Broomsticks?" he asked.
    "Okay, sounds fine," Hermione answered with a smile, heading off on her own. Harry turned
    to Ron.
    "What is she getting new dress robes for?" he asked, confused. Ron shook his head, rolling
    his eyes.
    "The dance, Harry. Did you forget? You're on the planning committee!" He laughed.
    "Oh, right," Harry mumbled. Ron's expression softened.
    "Are you gonna ask anyone? I think you should, Harry. It might be fun." Harry shrugged.
    "I dunno. Haven't really thought about it. The whole dance thing didn't go over too well
    in the past, if you remember correctly... You're lucky, you don't even have to look for
    a date..." Ron snorted with laughter.
    "Aw, come on Harry, this is different! We're older now, more mature..." Suddenly, his eye
    caught Zonko's just around the corner. His face lit up like a five year old who had just
    seen a candy store. "Zonko's, Harry! Let's go!" He took off running. Harry stood by himself,
    laughing and shaking his head.
    "More mature, Ron? Really?" He called after his friend.
    *************************
    Remus Lupin stood outside the hospital wing door, fidgeting with the bow tied to the dozen
    red roses he was carrying. He leaned against the wall, letting his thoughts drift back to the
    past week. Although Adele seemed to be getting better, she was still quite distant with Remus.
    He had finally worked up the courage to apologize and had decided that the past was behind them
    and they had to move on. Glancing down once again at the beautiful flowers, he pushed the door
    open, holding his breath and hoping that Adele would forgive him.
    He had entered so quietly that she hadn't even looked up from the Daily Prophet that she was
    reading. He smiled at her, watching the way her beautiful eyes stared intently at the page
    in front of her, how her hair cascaded down in curls that spilled off of her shoulders and onto
    her back, her hands, tiny but used to hard work, holding up the page... He shook his head, clearing
    it; he had only one mission, and that was to make up with Adele. He coughed slightly to get her
    attention.
    She looked up in surprise, dropping the newspaper. "Remus, I didn't even see you-" She stopped as
    she saw the roses. She gasped in surprise. "For me?" she whispered.
    Remus grinned. He hadn't expected her to be so excited about the flowers, but this would definitely
    help her forgive him, he thought to himself.
    "Adele - I trust you," he said simply. "I'm sorry if I acted childishly. I want to apologize and I
    hope you forgive me." Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, holding her arms out. Remus rushed to
    her side and enveloped her in a huge hug. After several minutes, they let go and smiled at one
    another.
    "I'm sorry for making that into such a big deal," he whispered.
    "No, don't be. It was a big deal. You have every right to be suspicious... I was the one who
    broke your trust in the first place." She sniffled as tears ran down her face.
    "Don't cry," he said softly. "It's all over now." She smiled up at him, still crying.
    "Remus, I love you. I would do anything for you. I will even tell you what happened between
    Sirius and I if you want." Reums shrugged.
    "If it would make you feel better, you can tell me. But I really don't need to know if you don't
    want to," he answered her, secretly hoping that she wouldn't tell him; he didn't really want to
    know what had happened on that night, 15 years ago....
    "Rem, I want to be completely honest with you. You can't truly forgive me unless you know what
    happened." Remus nodded. Adele took a deep breath. "Well, let's see... It was the night of October
    16, it was a full moon, I still remember because you weren't there with us. Peter, James, Lily, and
    Sirius were all at the Leaky Cauldron, except it was storming and it looked worse and worse. James
    and Lily went home, James was worried about getting stuck in a pub if the baby came early. Peter
    left a little after that, you know how he was always sneaking off... now I know why... but anyways,
    just Sirius and I were left, we had both had had too much to drink, and he wanted to take me home, the
    storm was just getting worse, the wind was picking up again and the rain was whipping against the
    windows..."
    *****************************
    _Didn't I just have prefect duty two days ago?_ Harry thought sullenly as he walked towards the
    stairway to meet the other prefects. Both Ron and Hermione had tonight off; why didn't he as well?
    He would much rather be in the common room, playing chess with Ron or reviewing with Hermione for the
    Defense Against the Dark Arts test tomorrow, than wandering the empty hallways with another random
    Hogwarts student. As he got closer to the stairwell, his anger lifted a bit. Rachel wasn't there.
    _Good,_ he thought to himself. _Better not to see her at all than to constantly be making her
    mad..._ Seating himself on the bottom step, he looked up and began to think about who he wanted to
    go on rounds with; then he realized he had encountered a much worse choice than Rachel. Draco Malfoy
    sat on the third step, staring down haughtily at him but not saying a word. Hannah Abbott smiled
    timidly at Harry from the fourth step. He realized they were still missing one person just as a
    girl came running across the Great Hall...
    "Sorry guys," Rachel said breathlessly, grinning. "I was in the library, I totally lost track of
    time." Her smile faded as she looked at Harry. She began to walk towards Hannah, but Harry reached out
    and grabbed her arm.
    "Rachel - didjawannagowithme? Er, tonight I mean? For our round?" She smiled politely yet coldly at
    him, pulling her arm out of his grasp.
    "No thanks, Potter," she said, climbing up to where Hannah sat. She leaned over and whispered in her
    ear; Hannah nodded and stood up.
    "We're going to take the even numbered floors; you guys take the odd ones and the dungeon," Hannah
    said, walking away with Rachel before Harry or Draco could respond. They sat on their respective steps,
    staring in opposite directions, the silence deafening between them. Finally, Harry stood up.
    "Y'know, we don't have to do this together. Let's just split it up." Draco finally made eye contact
    with him.
    "Good plan, Potter. I have better things to do than spend an hour roaming the hallways with you."
    "So do I," Harry retorted, his eyes narrowed.
    "Well then, you take the dungeons and floors one, three, and five and I'll take the rest."
    Harry nodded, strolling off towards the dungeons. He was glad the feeling was mutual; he didn't
    think he could have put up with Malfoy for that long. Sure, he was breaking one of the most essential
    rules that they had been given as prefects: never to walk alone on rounds. If he was to come across
    a situation that he couldn't handle by himself, he would have no one to send for help. _Like
    anything's going to happen,_ he thought to himself. After walking through all of his assigned
    floors without finding any students roaming the halls at all, he returned to the Gryffindor common
    room. It was late; nearly everyone was in bed, with the exception of a few students who had fallen
    asleep in front of the fireplace. Passing them, Harry went into his room and fell directly into
    his bed, sure that sleep would come quickly. However, it did not; his head was filled with thoughts.
    The image of Rachel, how he had hurt her on Monday, how she had ignored him tonight, how her silky hair
    fell in just the right way... Ron's voice entered his head: "Are you gonna ask anyone?" "It might be fun!"
    "Easy for him to say," he grumbled. Sleep did not come as easily as he had expected, and he tossed
    and turned for hours. The last image in his mind before he finally fell asleep was the look on
    Rachel's face, her eyes cold, as she answered his question earlier that night. "No thanks, Potter."
    The bitterness in her voice echoed in his head.
    ****************************
    


	18. Chapter 18


    **Chapter 18: The Date**
    As autumn progressed, the air outside the castle grew steadily colder and colder. Fall was
    in full swing now, and the Halloween dance was coming up quickly. _Too quickly,_ Harry
    thought to himself as he, Ron and Hermione walked out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts
    room. Their test had been quite easy, especially for those who had been in the DA last year;
    it was quite evident who had and who hadn't. As a bulky Slytherin struggled to perform a
    difficult defense spell, Harry couldn't help but laugh. All of the former DA members, even
    Neville, had successfully passed the test, he thought happily to himself. Even Professor
    Lupin's mouth was twitching upwards into a smile as the DA members, one after another, were
    successful. In fact, Harry had noticed Remus was happy most of the time now, but he wasn't
    sure why. He was glad that Remus had found a way to move past Sirius' death, however.
    He was shaken from his thoughts as he entered the Great Hall for lunch; the noise of the
    other students chattering had awoken his mind and he realized how hungry he was. Sitting
    down at the table, he immediately dug in, loading his plate with a little of everything.
    "Hi Harry," said Ginny with a smile, coming up to the table and bringing Luna Lovegood with
    her. Luna smiled vacantly at him before sitting down, a dreamy expression on her face. Ginny
    looked down at her and stifled a laugh before taking the seat beside her. "So how was the
    Defense Against the Dark Arts test?" she inquired, looking at Harry.
    "Bloody easy," mumbled Ron through a mouthful of food. Hermione shot him a sharp glance and
    he quickly swallowed. "Well, unless you're in Slytherin..." The three of them laughed and
    Ginny looked confused.
    "What exactly-" she began, but was interrupted by Luna.
    "How was your summer, Harry?" she asked suddenly. Harry glanced at Ginny, his eyebrows raised.
    She was covering her mouth and looking down to cover her laughter.
    "It was, er, all right I guess..." he trailed off. She nodded.
    "So was mine... My vacation to Sweden was wonderful." She stared at him, straight in the eye
    before getting up. "I'll see you all later," she said, walking towards the Ravenclaw table.
    Ginny burst out laughing until tears were coming from her eyes.
    "That was a little random, don't you think?" she asked, still laughing. Harry shook his head,
    looking bewildered.
    "She's a nice girl, but sometimes I worry about her," Harry replied, making Ginny laugh even
    harder. He smiled; for some reason, he felt victorious that he had been able to make Ginny
    laugh. He tried again. "Those Crumble Horn Shork-Shaks must have kidnapped her brain..."
    Ginny laughed even harder, holding onto the table for support. Suddenly she stopped without
    warning, the tears still on her face from her laughter, but her expression solemn and her eyes
    wide.
    "What?" Harry asked, turning to see what she was staring at. He nearly knocked over Luna, who
    was standing a foot behind him. "Oh - er... Luna..." She looked at him sharply.
    "That wasn't very nice, Harry Potter," she said before walking off once again. Harry felt
    terrible. He didn't mean to make fun of her, he was just trying to make Ginny laugh. He sighed.
    _I sure am good at turning girls off...._ he thought to himself.
    ***********************
    After staying after in Transfiguration to ask Professor McGonagall a question, Harry hurried
    down the hall towards the common room so that he could meet Ron and Hermione before dinner.
    Suddenly he tripped, sending the contents of his backpack falling across the stone floor.
    Grumbling to himself, he began to pick them up. He heard someone call his name. A girl. _Oh great,_
    he thought. Who is it this time...
    Looking up, he was amazed to see Cho Chang. His mind seemed to have stopped working as he
    struggled for words.
    "Er... hi, Cho," he finally said lamely. She smiled sweetly.
    "Can I help you pick up your things?" she asked.
    "Sure," he mumbled. "So... so how have you been?" he asked, desperately trying to come up with
    an idea for a conversation. She shrugged.
    "Pretty good. Harry, I want to apologize for last year. I was just so emotional that it was hard
    for me to talk to anyone."
    "Yeah... I understand," he said, smiling a bit and finally feeling a little more comfortable.
    "Terry and I broke up," she said suddenly. Harry was unsure of how to take this news.
    "Oh... I'm sorry... " he said, at a loss.
    "No, really, it's okay. It just wasn't working out." She faced him, looking straight into his
    eyes. "But now I don't have a date for the Halloween dance."
    _Stay calm,_ he told himself, gulping. He pulled at the neck of his robes uncomfortably.
    "R-really? he asked. "I don't have a date either."
    "Oh?" she asked, expectantly. Harry could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down his forehead.
    He had tried to have a relationship with Cho before, and it hadn't worked. _Ask Rachel!_
    said a little voice inside his head. _Rachel hates you!_ said another voice. He decided to
    go with the second voice's opinion.
    "Did you want to go together?" he asked nervously. Cho grinned.
    "Sure! I'd love to." She glanced at her watch. "I really have to get going. See you soon!"
    "Bye," he replied, confusion clouding his mind. Putting on his backpack again, he realized that
    he was supposed to have met Ron and Hermione ten minutes ago. Running down the hallway, he skidded
    into the common room door.
    "Watch it!" yelled the Fat Lady.
    "Sorry... Jack-o-Lantern..." he mumbled, and the portrait swang open to reveal an impatient-looking
    Hermione with Ron by her side.
    "Harry, where were you? I thought we were meeting for dinner!" she asked, exasperated.
    "Yeah, sorry I'm late." He mumbled. She looked at him carefully.
    "Why are you late?" she asked.
    "I was just... talking to someone..." he answered slowly. Hermione smiled knowingly.
    "Was it Rachel?" she asked.
    "No... why?" Harry replied, confused. Hermione stopped smiling.
    "Oh. She was just looking for you, that's all." She shrugged. "Come on, let's go to dinner."
    "Yeah mate, I'm starving!" Ron cried. Harry laughed as he followed Hermione out of the common
    room, but his thoughts were troubled. Why had Hermione seemed so happy when she mentioned
    Rachel? Why would she even know if Rachel was looking for him? And finally, why WAS Rachel looking for
    him after all??
    ****************************
    Adele Fleur sobbed, her weak hands shaking as they covered her face. Remus held her, rocking her
    back and forth.
    "Adele, it's okay. I told you that you didn't have to tell me the story. You don't have to finish it."
    "Yes I do!" she screamed. "I want to," she said, this time more quietly. Remus nodded. Adele took a
    deep breath.
    "So... so he came back to my house... everyone was asleep, Remus, and I was upset because you were gone!
    I was mad because you weren't there for me Remus, I didn't understand, I was wrong. I should have
    never let it happen.... But I did." She looked down, tears streaming from her eyes again.
    "Did you..." Remus mumbled, avoiding eye contact. She looked at him.
    "Did we what?" she asked, a little sharply.
    "You know," he mumbled. She gasped.
    "Remus of course not, I wouldn't have let it get that far! I feel bad enough about what happened..."
    He nodded, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
    "I forgive you," he whispered. She smiled up at him through her tears.
    "Thank you," she replied, allowing herself to be engulfed in a huge hug. "I don't know what I would
    do without you, Remus," she mumbled, caressing his hair.
    "And I you," he replied, running his hands along her back.
    *****************************
    


	19. Chapter 19


    If you haven't noticed - I gave up on disclaimers a long time ago. But just as a reminder:
    I still do not own Harry Potter!
    A/N: I hope I'm not losing readers over this Cho thing... I don't particularly like her either,
    and neither does anyone in this chapter. Harry just makes interesting decisions sometimes...
    Keep reading, it will get better!
    **Chapter 19 **
    After a filling dinner, Harry headed back towards the dormitories with Ron and Hermione.
    "I think I'll start that chart for Astronomy, and maybe my essay for Ancient Runes..." Hermione
    began, looking thoughtful. The sixth years had thought that homework had been bad last year, but
    this year it was just getting worse. At least there wouldn't be an overload like there had been
    5th year just before the O.W.L exams; they didn't have to take their N.E.W.T.'s until 7th year
    and Harry thanked his lucky stars for that. "Are you researching tonight for Potions?" Hermione
    asked Harry. He opened his mouth to answer but suddenly turned as he heard someone calling his
    name.
    "Harry! Harry Potter, wait up! Wait for me!" Rachel pushed herself through the crowd that was
    leaving the Great Hall. Harry stopped, somewhat nervously. Ron glanced at him and gave him a
    wink, continuing on towards the common room and pulling Hermione along with him. Rachel finally
    struggled through all of the students to where Harry was. "Hey," she said breathlessly.
    "Hi," he answered, looking down. She looked up at him and his eyes met hers. _He's so tall, _
    Rachel noticed, seemingly for the first time. She cleared her throat.
    "I was just wondering if you were mad or something, I haven't talked to you in days..." she trailed
    off. Harry glared at her.
    "YOU were the one who didn't want to go on prefect duty with me! I got stuck with Malfoy because of
    you!" He said, his voice raised. Many of the students in the crowd around them looked up to see
    what the commotion was. Lowering his voice, he said, "Maybe we should have this conversation somewhere
    else." Rachel nodded and grabbed his sleeve, walking towards the right. After going down a few more
    hallways, they came to the Room of Requirement and Rachel stopped. "How... how did you know...."
    She grinned.
    "I'm not that dumb, Potter," she replied, walking past the statue three times. A door appeared, and
    Rachel grasped the handle and entered. Feeling frustrated, Harry walked in after her.
    The room was small but cozy and contained a single loveseat in front of a blazing fireplace. Rachel
    sat down first and Harry sat awkwardly beside her; to him, they seemed uncomfortably close.
    "So prefect duty... Malfoy..." Harry began angrily, stumbling over his words. Rachel sighed.
    "Okay, so yes I was mad at you. You act like a stupid git sometimes, Harry. You need to learn to
    control your temper." Harry's face flushed.
    "I do NOT have a temper-"
    "You see what I'm saying?? I'm just trying to talk to you and already you're getting mad." She leaned
    back, crossing her arms.
    "Okay, okay," he muttered defeatedly. "So I have a temper. I'm sorry." She grinned.
    "That's better. Are you still mad at me?"
    "No. Are you still mad at me?" He asked.
    "No." She smiled again. "Friends?" she asked, holding out her hand. He smiled back and shook it.
    "Friends." They sat near the fire, talking for what seemed to be hours. Suddenly, Harry glanced at his
    watch.
    "Rachel, it's nearly curfew! We have to get back," he exclaimed. She laughed.
    "Harry, we're prefects anyway, who's going to catch us?" She asked, still laughing.
    "Oh yeah," he muttered, embarassed. She smiled and got up.
    "Come on, let's go back upstairs. I still have homework to do." Harry nodded and followed her.
    After walking Rachel to the Hufflepuff common room, he entered his own to find it nearly empty except
    for Ron and Hermione. Hermione gave him a tired wave as she yawned. Ron grinned up at him expectantly.
    "So? What happened? Did you ask her to the dance?" he questioned insistently.
    "Ron!" Hermione cried, slapping him on the arm. "That's a little personal, don't you think?" She turned
    to Harry. "Well? Did you?"
    "I thought you just said that was personal!" he cried. Hermione laughed.
    "Well, I wasn't the one that asked the question."
    "But you wanted to know the answer, and I got hit for asking!" Ron exclaimed, rubbing his upper arm.
    They both turned their attention toward Harry. "So?" Ron asked expectantly.
    "Er... well actually, I'm going with Cho..." Ron looked shocked; Hermione seemed crestfallen.
    "Cho?" Ron asked uncertainly. "But blimey, mate, after last year..."
    "I know," he mumbled. "But she apologized for last year!" he added hopefully. Ron shrugged.
    "It's up to you, Harry," Ron said nonchalantly. Hermione said nothing; however, she was frowning and her
    eyes looked sad and dark. Harry said goodnight and went upstairs. Lying in bed, he smiled to
    himself. He had made up with Cho and Rachel in the same day! Plus he had a date to the dance.
    Grinning into his pillow, he fell asleep quickly, images of both girls floating through his mind.
    ********************
    After a quiet dinner with Adele in the hospital wing, Remus returned to his office. Adele's cousin had
    come to visit and he felt that they should be left alone to reaquaint one another. Plus, he had felt
    so odd listening to Genevive and Adele converse in French, their voices chatty and flowing. He had taken
    French, but it had been years ago; he hardly remembered any. The only reason he had taken the class in the
    first place had been for her, he remembered, rubbing his face tiredly.
    Slowly, he sat down at his desk. He was happier than he had been in years, but also exhausted. On top of
    grading papers and teaching classes every day, he spend hours upon hours with Adele; he had barely any
    time to himself anymore. Guiltily, he thought of the reason Dumbledore had appointed him as a Professor
    this year: to help Harry get past his grief. _I'll talk to him tomorrow,_ he promised himself. _And
    I will introduce him to Adele..._
    ********************
    **
    Rachel stood in front of Harry, wearing her dress robes and with her hair in a strange updo underneath
    a stuffed vulture hat similar to Neville's grandmother's perched on her head. She was screaming.
    "Why didn't you ask me, Harry? Why? You ask her, she's been so mean to you, I was always nice but still
    you didn't ask me!" He reached out towards her but she seemed to just get further and further away.
    "But Rachel... Come back!" he yelled. She kept walking away. He turned and saw Cho behind him.
    "Harry!" Cho called, tears streaming down her face. "I can't do this, I'm not strong enough." He looked
    at her, confused.
    "Wha-What? I don't understand." She took his hands.
    "Dance with me," she whispered, as they began a waltz to what Harry thought was some very unfamiliar
    music. He stumbled; he had no idea how to dance! The music began to speed up and they spun faster and
    faster.
    "Cho... I don't like this..." he said nervously. She began to cry again.
    "Why won't you dance with me, Harry?" she managed to choke out. Her face began swirling in his mind
    until he could no longer see her clearly...
    **
    Harry woke up, gasping. That had to be the weirdest dream he had ever had. (A/N: Did you all think I was
    going insane there? Probably, lol.) He ran his hands over his face, trying to erase the thought of it.
    He rolled over and looked at his clock; it was 5:45. Sighing to himself, he gave up trying to sleep again
    and got up to get a glass of water. He got dressed quietly and went to the common room to work on homework
    for a few hours until everyone else got up. _Hermione would be proud,_ he thought to himself.
    Hopefully he could get back on her good side, she hadn't looked very happy last night. _Wonder why?_
    he thought, but he didn't have to wait for long. Hermione, usually an early riser, had also come into
    the common room for some before-breakfast studying. She looked shocked to see him there.
    "Oh, hi Harry, I wasn't expecting you," she said, smiling a bit. He shrugged.
    "Couldn't sleep," he grunted, pouring over his Herbology book. She set her books down on the floor and
    sat in the chair across from Harry, facing him directly.
    "We need to talk," she said. Harry looked up from his book.
    "Okay..." he said hesitantly, worried about the coming conversation. Hermione frowned.
    "Why did you ask Cho to the dance? You know what she's like. Do you really think she's going to be
    different this year?" she asked.
    "Yes," Harry answered defiantly. "She apologized. Besides, you don't know her like I do. She's nice."
    Hermione looked down. "I guess," she replied. "I just thought that you would have asked Rachel."
    "Rachel and I are friends. Nothing more," Harry said honestly, deeply wishing that it weren't true.
    Hermione nodded.
    "Well, I'm going to breakfast now. Care to join me?" she said, attempting a smile.
    "Sure," Harry replied, glad to be done with the topic.
    *********************
    "Finally Friday!" Ron said happily. For Harry, this was not necesarially a good thing; the dance was
    only a week away. All their classes were done and the trio was heading back to the common room to drop
    off their things before dinner. As they passed the Hufflepuff common room, the door burst open and
    Rachel nearly fell into Harry.
    "Oops," she laughed, blushing a bit. "Sorry about that, Harry." He laughed.
    "It's okay. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" She sighed.
    "Well, I don't have dress robes for the dance, so I thought I'd owl my mother and ask her to buy me
    some and ship them here, but I'm not sure how long that would take, I don't know if I would have them
    in time... I was counting on going to Hogsmeade last week but I had so much homework I ended up staying
    back." She told the story rapidly and took a deep breath as she finished.
    "I have an owl you could borrow, if you'd like," he said. Ron nudged him, eyebrows raised.
    "You can do better than that mate..." he said, grinning. Harry understood and grinned back.
    "You're right, Ron." He turned to Rachel. "Stay here; I'll be back in five minutes!" Harry ran off.
    _What is going on here?_ Rachel wondered.
    Five minutes later, Harry returned. Rachel was confused because he was still carrying his backpack.
    "I thought you went to put that away?" she asked. He was still grinning.
    "I took all the books out," he said slyly. "Now come on, follow me." Slightly unsure, she walked along
    with him. He stopped suddenly in what seemed to be the middle of the hallway.
    "Um, Harry, what are we doing?" she asked skeptically. He withdrew his wand from his cloak and grinned
    again, turning to face a statue of a one-eyed witch that Rachel had never really noticed before.
    He pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and checked it carefully before stuffing it back in
    again. Rachel watched quietly. _Has he finally lost his marbles?_ she wondered.
    _"Dissendium,_ he whispered, tapping the statue. Rachel gasped as it moved, creating an opening
    which seemed to lead into a dark passageway.
    "Harry! What are you doing?" she hissed. "What if someone walks by?" He held out his hand.
    "Do you trust me?" he asked. She nodded. "Good," he replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her inside.
    The witch moved back to its original position, closing the passageway from passers-by.
    **********************
    Remus Lupin entered the Gryffindor common room and was surprised to see Ron and Hermione without Harry.
    "Have you seen Harry lately?" he asked them. Nervously, they looked at one another.
    "He's in the library -"
    "He's visiting Hagrid -" Both spoke at the same time. Hermione cringed, clenching her eyes shut.
    Remus merely raised his eyebrows and didn't ask.
    "Well, when he returns from wherever he has gone, tell him that I would like to meet him in my office
    tonight at 7." Ron and Hermione nodded, relieved. They quickly escaped from the common room and
    headed to dinner.
    "That was smooth, Ron," Hermione moaned as they headed down the hallway. Ron grimaced and shrugged.
    "Well, what were we supposed to do?" he asked, a little defensively. He added, with a sigh, "Well, at
    least Lupin didn't ask much. Y'know, they did stuff like that too when they were in school, I'm sure of
    it..."
    "That's true," Hermione replied thoughtfully.
    After dinner, Hermione convinced Ron to head over to the library to do a bit of research for Potions.
    Grumbling, Ron agreed, and an hour later the two of them were surrounded by books in the silence of
    the library. Completely engulfed in _1001 Ways to Change Your Life: Self-Improvement Potions_,
    Ron heard an unfamilar voice ask him, "Where's Harry Potter?"
    "With Rachel," he mumbled, not looking up. He heard Hermione gasp and looked up at her. Her eyes were
    wide with fear, and her attention was focused on the end of the table.
    "Ron," she whispered, still looking in the same direction. Hesitantly, he turned his head to see who
    had asked the question. A furious-looking Cho Chang stood with her hands palms down on the table, leaning
    in menacingly toward Ron.
    "Who's Rachel?" she asked in a low, dangerous-sounding voice.
    ************************
    


	20. Chapter 20


    **Chapter 20: The Management of Grief**
    Rachel stumbled down the dark tunnel, tripping over a rock. She fell forward, grasping Harry's forearm
    as she fell. He steadied her worldlessly and continued moving on quickly into the darkness. Rachel
    followed, panting.
    "Harry... Where are we going? Can you tell me yet?" she asked, exasperated and out of breath.
    "Just a bit further..." he replied, but to Rachel the path seemed just as empty and dark as it had been
    previously. Her mind was moving a million miles an hour.
    _Where is he taking me? What is going on?_ she wondered silently to herself, a sense of uneasiness
    settling over her mind. A thought struck her suddenly. _Do I trust him?_ she asked herself.
    _Of course,_ she answered, shaking her head at her foolishness. She was shaken from her
    thoughts as she ran face-first into Harry, who had stopped suddenly in front of a dusty ladder that
    led to a wooden trapdoor in the ceiling; a tiny crack in the wood let in a stream of dust-filled
    light. Rachel looked up curiously.
    "Where are we?" she asked, dumbfounded. Harry turned to her, his face smeared with dirt from their rapid
    trip to the end of the tunnel.
    "Underneath Honeyduke's," he replied, grinning.
    "Wha- why?" He laughed at Rachel's apparent confusion.
    "You wanted dress robes," he replied simply. Her mouth dropped open.
    "You mean... we're in Hogsmeade? We're going to go shopping?" she squealed, the realization of the
    situation finally dawning on her. Harry laughed.
    "Come on, and make sure to keep your voice down," he said, putting his foot on the first rung. "We
    end up in the backroom of Honeyduke's and I don't think they'd like us being there..." They climbed
    the ladder quietly, and crawled out of the opening. Immediately Harry heard the sounds of footsteps
    coming down the stairs at the front of the small storage room. "Rachel! Over here!" he hissed, pulling
    her behind a box marked "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans". They both held their breath as a man
    rummaged through a carton on the other side of the room. Rachel was suddenly very aware of Harry's
    hand resting on her back. Her heart began to beat faster; it was beating so loudly that she was amazed
    the man who was in the room with them couldn't hear. She had butterflies in her stomach. _What is
    going on with me?_ she wondered. _I do NOT like Harry Potter!_
    "Rachel, I think he's gone," Harry whispered, peering out from behind the box. "Let's go!" Dusting
    themselves off, they got up and walked carefully up the creaky staircase. The store owners were at
    the other end of the counter and Harry and Rachel managed to sneak out and blend in with the few
    customers in the store before running out the door towards the other end of Hogsmeade. They ran
    all the way to Gladrags Wizard Wear, Rachel laughing the entire way. She collapsed on the ground
    outside the shop, gasping for air through her laughter.
    "Harry... what are we doing...here...This is...crazy!" she managed to say.
    "You wanted dress robes," he replied, and both of them laughed again. "Come on," he said, offering
    her his hand as he pulled her off the ground. "Let's go inside." They spent nearly an hour in the
    shop as Rachel tried on robe after robe.
    "I'm not sure if I like this one," Rachel said, frowning as she modeled an old-fashioned light yellow
    robe. "Maybe a darker color?" The shopkeeper nodded and returned with a brilliant blue one.
    "This should fit you perfectly, dear," she said, smiling at Rachel. Rachel nodded and took the robe,
    retreating to the dressing room. The shopkeeper turned to Harry. "What a beauiful girl you have there.
    Is she your wife?" she asked.
    "Ah... er... no, we're friends," he managed to choke out, his face blushing a dark red.
    "How about this one?" Rachel called from just outside the dressing room. "It's a little tight..."
    Harry's jaw dropped open as he looked at her. The brilliant blue robe hung all the way to the floor;
    it was sleeveless and showed off Rachel's arms. It wasn't tight, as she had said, but it fit perfectly
    and showed off her curves in all the right places.
    "Dear, it isn't tight, they're meant to fit that way," the storekeeper told her, turning her around to
    examine the back of the robes. Rachel shrugged.
    "I guess... I'm just used to my Hogwarts robes," she said, laughing. "Do you like it?" she asked Harry.
    "Uh.. yeah. It looks great," he managed to stutter out. She laughed.
    "Okay, we'll take it," she told the shopkeeper.
    After paying, the two headed back to Hogwarts, making sure they were careful as they entered the tunnel
    in Honeyduke's. When they reached the other end, Harry stopped once again and pulled out the same
    piece of parchment. Rachel looked at him questioningly.
    "What's that?" she asked, craning her neck to see it. Harry shook his head.
    "Well, guess I might as well tell you... it's a map. A magical map. It shows all of the people inside
    of Hogwarts." He pointed his wand at it. "I solemly swear I am up to no good." Lines appeared, snaking
    across the parchment. Rachel gasped.
    "Awesome!" she cried. Harry laughed.
    "I didn't know you were this much of a trouble maker, Harry. Did you make this thing?" she asked. He
    smiled to himself.
    "No... I got it from some old friends." he replied.
    **********************
    Harry headed back to his common room, triumphantly. Of course, he was starving as he had missed dinner
    to take Rachel to Hogsmeade, but that didn't matter. He had had so much fun. _We're still just friends,_
    he told himself firmly, feeling a bit guilty being with Rachel for so long after deciding to go with Cho
    to the dance. He entered the common room, still grinning. Hermione and Ron rushed up to him.
    "Harry, it's 6:45!" Hermione cried, looking at her watch. He was confused.
    "So?" he asked.
    "Mate, you're supposed to meet Professor Lupin at 7 tonight. He came and saw us. We didn't think you'd be
    back in time." Ron told him.
    "Sorry guys," he mumbled.
    "It's fine, but you'd better go wash your face or he'll know for sure you were in that tunnel!" Hermione
    told him, warningly.
    Harry ran upstairs to his room, washed his face and then raced back down again.
    "Where am I supposed to meet him at?" he asked them.
    "His office," they chorused together. Harry nodded and barged out the door, nearly knocking over a few
    second-years standing on the other side of the portrait. Hermione sighed, looking at Ron.
    "So were you planning on asking me to the dance or am I just supposed to assume we're going together,
    since we're going out?" she asked him. He began to blush profusely.
    "Er... Hermionedoyouwanttogotothedancetogehter." he mumbled quickly. She rolled her eyes.
    "Sure," she said laughing. "That was romantic."
    "Hey!" he said defensively. "You knew I wasn't romantic when we started going out!" Hermione laughed
    even harder.
    "True," she replied. Suddenly she stopped laughing as a horrible thought occured to her. She turned
    hesitantly to Ron, fear in her eyes.
    "Ron... we didn't tell him about Cho. What if he sees her before we can tell him?"
    *********************
    Harry Potter rushed up the final set of stairs before reaching Remus Lupin's office. He knocked and was
    told to enter.
    "Harry!" Remus said, looking up. "Thanks for coming, I lost track of time, didn't even realize it was
    7:00." He gestured towards a shabby-looking armchair in front of his desk. "Sit down, please."
    Harry sat, waiting for Remus to begin.
    "Well, first I wanted to explain a few things. You know who Adele Fleur is." Harry nodded. "She is, er,
    an old friend of mine. I don't know if you remember the picture or not...." The memory flashed in front
    of Harry's eyes; he remembered the first time he had seen Adele as a young girl, her blue eyes shining
    and her pretty brown hair bouncing over her shoulders in curls. Remus continued. "She was also very good
    friends with your parents, Harry, especially Lily. She wants to talk to you." Harry was shocked.
    "She - what? Why does she want to talk to me?" he asked.
    "Well, just because she knew your parents. And Harry - Dumbledore told you she was an anteawean. I'm unsure
    if you know what exactly that entails but... she's been talking to your parents. And Sirius. She can talk
    to the dead."
    Harry's jaw dropped open. _Why didn't I think of this before??_ he asked himself. Sure, he had known
    that she was an anteawean, but he hadn't really put two and two together. Remus continued talking, but
    Harry's thoughts were elsewhere.
    "-so maybe tomorrow, for some afternoon tea? How about around 4 in the afternoon, is that okay with you
    Harry?" Remus questioned gently.
    "Ah, sure. That's fine," he replied vaguely. Remus nodded.
    "I know this is hard for you Harry. If you ever need to talk things over with someone, I'm here."
    Harry nodded, said goodnight, and left. He walked back to the common room, confusion clouding his thoughts.
    He could talk to his mum and dad. He could talk to Sirius. _What will I tell them?_ he thought
    frantically. He found himself outside the common room door; he mumbled the password and entered.
    Ron and Hermione jumped up from the sofa immediately. Hermione gasped as she saw the look on his face.
    "So - so you know? You talked to her?" she cried.
    "Talked to... who? The only person I talked to was Remus." Harry replied, confused. Hermione collapsed
    onto a chair, her hand over her heart. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Hermione looked at Ron.
    "I think HE better explain... He started it," she said angrily. Ron sighed.
    "Well, mate... Hermione and I were in the library, and this person asks me where you are and I say with
    Rachel... Then I look up and..." he gulped. "It was Cho." Harry's heart sunk.
    "Was... was she mad?" he asked, knowing the answer. Ron's eyes widened.
    "She was bloody furious, mate. I thought she was going to kill me right there, just for knowing you..."
    "So I can't even talk to other girls? This is ridiculous. We're not even dating. All I did was ask her
    to the dance."
    "I think she took it as more than that, Harry. I think she believes you and her are dating again."
    Hermione's voice rose from behind the book she had picked up. She lowered the book a few inches. "Talk to
    her. You need to sort things out."
    "Tomorrow," Harry mumbled, stumbling up the stairs to the dormitories. "I'm tired."
    ***********************
    At breakfast the next morning, Harry's heart immediately sank as he saw Cho glaring at him from the
    Ravenclaw table. Instead of ignorning him like he hoped she would, Cho stood up and stomped over to the
    Gryffindor table.
    "I'm so sorry mate, I'm so sorry," Ron moaned, over and over again. Cho stood in front of him, her hands
    on her hips.
    "Harry Potter - we're over! I won't take you cheating on me!" she shrieked shrilly.
    "Fine by me - we were never dating, Cho! We were just going to the dance!" he yelled back.
    "I've never meant anything to you, have I, Harry? I'm just not good enough for the famous Harry Potter!"
    she screamed, tears streaming down her face. She stomped back over to the Ravenclaw table. The entire
    school was staring at Harry. His face red, he put his head down on the table.
    "Why does it always have to be me?" he whined.
    ***********************
    As it was Saturday, Harry had a bit of time to kill as he waited until 4:00 to meet Adele and Remus.
    He decided to plan out this year's Quidditch team; he knew, with all of the students that had graduated
    last year, that it would quite a feat. He hung a sign in the common room advertising try-outs for the
    coming week. The season would be starting soon and, as captain, he needed to get his act together.
    For the entire rest of the afternoon, he couldn't concentrate. All he could think about was meeting Adele
    Fleur. What would he say to his parents? What would he say to Sirius? _What will they say to me?_ he
    thought, at a loss for words.
    Finally, it was 4:00. He headed quickly up to the hospital wing. Opening the door shyly, he saw that
    Remus had conjured a worn but nice looking table and three chairs. The furnishings sat oddly in the middle
    of the otherwise empty hospital wing. An older-looking woman, her shiny brown hair hanging past her
    shoulders, leaned forward anxiously in her bed. "You must be Harry!" she cried. He nodded, his eyes
    searching the room for Remus. He was nowhere to be found. Harry walked toward the bed.
    "Nice to meet you," he mumbled, smiling nervously at Adele. She smiled back at him, tears welling up
    in her eyes.
    "Harry, I've heard such wonderful things about you. Sit down, sit down, Remus will be back soon and
    we can have tea!" Harry sat in one of the three chairs as Remus entered the hospital wing.
    "Well, I see you've met Adele!" he said happily. He looked at her carefully. "Would you like your tea
    in bed or do you think you could sit with us?" he asked.
    "Oh, I'm just fine... a little weak, that's all," she replied, raising herself out of bed. With Remus
    helping her, she made her way over to the chair on Harry's right. She smiled at him again, a motherly
    smile, and began to serve the tea.
    "No, I'll do it," Remus volunteered, taking the kettle away from Adele and pouring the hot liquid into
    the mugs. After everyone was settled, Adele turned to Harry.
    "So, Mr. Potter.... what do you want to know?" she asked. Harry's mind swam with a million thoughts.
    "About what?" he asked.
    "Anything," she replied gently.
    "What... what were my parents like? What do they say about me?" he asked nervously. She smiled at him,
    closing her eyes.
    "James," she whispered. "Lily." She was silent for a few minutes. "But of course.... yes, yes I will..."
    Harry felt like he was listening to one end of a phone conversation. Adele paused and looked at him, tears
    in her eyes once again. "They want you to know that they love you Harry, they're always watching over
    you. James says..." she paused as her voice broke and tears rushed down her face. "He says he is so
    proud of you. You're everything he ever wanted in a son." Harry was crying now too, silently, the tears
    were streaking down his face and falling onto his robe. "Lily says the same, of course, she says to be
    strong because you were meant for great things, Harry... Although the path is dangerous and heartbreaking,
    you will become something great." Harry wiped his face on his sleeve, openly sobbing.
    "Sirius?" he asked shakily. She nodded.
    "Sirius," she whispered. She smiled to herself as she heard his booming voice answer. "He says not to
    blame yourself for what happened in the Department of Mysteries, you either Remus, it was neither of you,
    it was his own fault..."
    "It was my fault!" Harry burst out tearfully.
    "No! No, no, it wasn't," Adele answered eagerly, her eyes still closed. "He says you can't blame yourself,
    Harry. He says to tell you thank you, you were like a son to him... You were his friend and his brother
    and his son, you were his whole life since he got out of Azkaban..." Harry had his head in his hands,
    trying to block the tears, but they were still escaping, falling into his palms and moistening his face.
    "Their message to you is to hold on, Harry... stay strong, keep up the fight. They know you can do it.
    They are watching over you, they are in a better place, You-Know-Who can't touch them anymore, they are
    safe. They love you and they want you to succeed, Harry. They know that you have the weight of the world
    on your shoulders and they know that you can do it. You can save our world." Nodding, Harry looked up at
    Adele, unable to speak because of his emotions. Instead, he stood and enveloped the tiny, frail woman in
    a bear hug.
    "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you."
    *********************************
    I have finally written this chapter! I'm so happy it's done. Thanks to all my great readers! I can't
    believe how many reviews I'm getting. Also - the name of the chapter is from a short story by Bharati
    Mukherjee - I have to give her credit for borrowing it! Thanks to my awesome reviewers.
    


	21. Chapter 21


    Sorry this one took a while... If it's bad, it's because I am writing this at 2 AM... My apologies,
    everyone!!!
    **Chapter 21: Halloween**
    Harry slept soundly that night. For once, he realized, he was coping with the issue of Sirius' death
    instead of pushing it away. In the morning, he felt refreshed; he was glad that Ron and Hermione had
    still been at dinner when he had gotten back the night before with his swollen eyes red from crying. He
    had simply decided to go to bed early and had not woken up once.
    He peered out of his bedcurtains. The sunlight was beginning to filter in through the blinds on the
    windows. Dressing quietly, he decided he would visit the owlery and perhaps send Adele Fleur a thank
    you letter for spending time with him yesterday. He picked up a quill and parchment and walked to the
    common room. After much debating, he finished his letter.
    Dear Adele,
    Thank you for yesterday. I cannot put into words how much it
    meant to me. You have helped me more than you can imagine.
    I hope you are feeling better today and I will be back up to
    see you again soon.
    Sincerely,
    Harry Potter
    He signed his name at the bottom, then folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He walked towards
    the owlery, noticing that all of the halls were empty and his footsteps echoed throughout the barren
    school. _I am not alone,_ he thought to himself, smiling at the idea of his parents and Sirius
    watching him right now. He had reached the owlery; Hedwig was nowhere to be found. _Must be out
    hunting again,_ he thought to himself. A dark owl, the color of a raven, flew down to him and
    allowed him to tie the letter to its leg. It stared at him intently with its ebony eyes as he fumbled
    with the knot. After he was finished, the owl soared off through the window, its wings flapping in the
    morning silence, the post-dawn sky paling in comparison to its coloring. Harry watched it. He
    couldn't help but feel that, as that black owl escaped and flew free of the building, all of the
    sadness and pain in his life was escaping with it, flying high into the clouds with the owl.
    ***********************
    The next week flew by in a blur. Homework, homework, and more homework was being piled upon the sixth
    years, but most of them didn't care - their main concern was the dance on the coming Friday. With a
    heavy heart, Harry ignored most of the talk of the dance; as far as he was concerned, he had tried to
    find a date once, and that was enough for him. Instead, he spent much of his time working quietly in
    the common room or the library, all the while thinking about his parents and Sirius. How he could have
    been concerned only days ago with he and Cho's constant petty fights, he had no idea. The world was
    much bigger and more important than that, and he had finally grasped a part of it.
    The days rushed by and suddenly it was Friday. Harry, Ron and Hermione joined the other prefects in
    decorating the Great Hall; their voices filled the room with happy chatter about the coming event.
    Harry worked placing tiny enchanted pumpkins around the room; Professor Flitwick was following him,
    charming them to stay in the air. After several rolls of streamers, Halloween decorations galore,
    a little bit of magic, and nearly three hours, the Great Hall was ready. The excited decorators
    hurried back up to their dormitories to tell their friends about how wonderful the Great Hall looked.
    Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked slowly behind them.
    "So you're still coming tonight, right Harry?" Hermione asked in a concerned voice. Harry shrugged.
    "Nah, I don't think so. Dances really aren't my thing." Parvati, who was passing him in the hallway,
    looked over, scandalized.
    "But everyone is going!" she cried. "I heard you were dating that girl from Hufflepuff; did you guys
    break up? What happened?"
    "We aren't dating," he mumbled, escaping as quickly as possible. Hermione rolled her eyes.
    "Parvati... always gossiping... she'll be rushing back to Lavendar with some story now..."
    Harry laughed, a bit uncomfortably. He didn't want to think about the rest of the school gossiping
    about him and Rachel. Ron and Hermione bid him goodbye, entering the common room. Harry stayed in
    the corridors, wandering and thinking. He heard someone call out his name behind him; his heart
    rose as he turned around, hoping it would be Rachel.
    Luna Lovegood smiled at him from a few feet away, her eyes vacant and dreamy. Harry sighed.
    "Hi, Luna," he greeted her, slightly disappointed. She looked at him.
    "I have forgiven you, Harry Potter, for making fun of me," she told him, matter-of-factly. He hung his
    head as he remembered the day at the Gryffindor table.
    "Thanks... I'm still really sorry, Luna," he replied. She nodded.
    "It's okay. Have you discovered what I told you last year, Harry Potter? That those who have passed
    beyond this world are not truly gone?" He nodded, smiling. She smiled back. "Good. You will have a
    very good night tonight," she told him.
    "I'm not going. To the dance, that is," he added. She raised her eyebrows.
    "If you say so," she replied, turning and walking away. Harry shook his head. Why didn't that girl
    ever make sense?
    *********************
    Rachel Wheaten sat on her dormitory floor, her back leaning against her bed and tears streaming down
    her face. _Why didn't he ask me?_ she thought to herself, wiping her eyes with the back of her
    hand. _After all that, he didn't even ask me!_ Quietly, she got up. She really didn't want to
    go to the dance, but she had promised her friends she would meet them there. Wiping her tears and
    attempting to apply a bit of make-up to cover up her red eyes, Rachel sighed to herself. She wasn't
    really the type of girl that believed in dances and dressing up and make-up, but for some reason
    this night had seemed different. She hadn't gone to the dance during her fourth year and hadn't even
    felt upset. But that was a long time ago... this time, it seemed more important, especially since she
    had wanted to go with a special someone. _But apparently he doesn't want to go with me,_ she
    thought bitterly to herself. She picked her small purse up off of the dresser and walked out of the
    dormitory.
    ********************
    Harry Potter continued wandering the hallways after he had seen Luna. His thoughts, formerly of
    Sirius and his parents, now had drifted to a pretty blonde girl. _I wish I could talk to her
    right now..._ he thought to himself, leaning against the brick wall and sliding onto the floor
    in a sitting position. He knew he really should have asked her to the dance; she probably would
    have said yes, and then he would have known if they were really just friends or if there was something
    more to their relationship. Now, however, the opportunity seemed to be past, and it might never
    present itself again.
    Harry heard distant footsteps and leaned around the corner to see who was coming. His heart jumped
    into his throat: it was her. Rachel, her outline complimented by the beautiful blue robe, walked
    towards him, a sad expression on her face. Harry leaned back against the wall in a desperate attempt
    to stay hidden. Rachel turned the corner and continued without seeing him. _You already let one
    opportunity pass, Potter, _a voice in his head told him. _Don't let this one be number two..._
    Harry jumped to his feet. "Rachel!" he called. She spun around, amazed to see him.
    "Harry - what are you doing here?" she asked, shocked and confused.
    "Oh... just, er... thinking," he said lamely, blushing as he stuttered over his words. Rachel smiled
    sadly.
    "You're not going to the dance?" she asked. He shook his head.
    "No... I had a date but it kinda didn't work out. I'm not really into the whole dance thing," he replied.
    Rachel smiled broadly.
    "Me either. Care if I join you?"
    *******************
    Ron and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor tower a little before midnight. The curfew had been extended
    for the dance, and they had supervised the younger students as they returned to their dormitories.
    As both of them were exhausted, Ron and Hermione said goodnight.
    "Check up on Harry, won't you, Ron?" Hermione asked him, a worrisome look on her face.
    "'Course, Mione." Ron mumbled, giving her a peck on the cheek.
    "Goodnight," they whispered, retreating upstairs to their rooms. Ron stumbled up the stairs and opened
    the door, expecting to see Harry's bedcurtains closed. Instead, he was amazed to see Harry sitting on
    the floor next to Rachel, who was wearing dress robes and jewelry and had done her hair, although Ron
    did not remember seeing her at the dance. He stared at the pair uncomprehendingly as they leaned back
    against Harry's bed, laughing until they cried.
    "So then Malfoy tries feinting, right - except I already had the snitch!" he managed to choke out, and
    they both fell back again, laughing.
    "Harry, mate, whadda you doing, bringing girls up here?" Ron asked, his speech slurred, as he stumbled
    over to his bed. He fell into it and immediately passed out from exhaustion. Rachel raised her eyebrows
    and began giggling unstoppably. Harry just looked at Ron and shook his head.
    "Dance must have been pretty tough, good thing we didn't go..." They laughed again. Harry glanced at
    his watch. "It's nearly midnight, we should probably turn in as well. Would you mind if I walked you
    back to your room?" Rachel smiled, offering him her hand so he could pull her into a standing position
    from the ground.
    "Of course, Mr. Potter. Thank you," she replied daintily, batting her eyelashes. The two broke into
    laughter again; Ron gave a half-snore, half-grunt at the increase in noise level, but this just made
    them laugh harder.
    "Let's go," Harry finally said, taking Rachel's hand in his own and leading her down the steps and out
    of the common room. They talked quietly as they approached the Hufflepuff dormitories, trying to keep
    their voices down to avoid being noticed by any of the other prefects who might be on duty right now.
    At last, they reached the portrait that guarded the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. Rachel
    turned to face Harry.
    "Thank you so much... I had a wonderful time tonight," she said sincerely.
    "I'm sorry you never made it to the dance," Harry replied, shrugging. Rachel smiled.
    "It doesn't matter. I had fun anyways." Harry looked into her eyes, their depth mesmerizing him as she
    stared back at him as well.
    "Rachel-" he began just as she said, "Harry-" They both laughed.
    "You go first," he told her. She inhaled deeply, getting ready to speak.
    "Harry, I've never known anyone like you. You're amazing. I love being around you, talking to you,
    spending time with you... I feel like I've never been this happy," she said quietly. Harry was at a loss
    for words; how did she know that this was the exact thing he had been about to say? She continued.
    "I know maybe you haven't had a lot of good experiences with dating, but neither have I... Harry...
    would you go out with me?" she finally blurted out. Harry was shocked. _She just asked me out! A girl
    just asked me out! RACHEL just asked me out!_ His mind stil reeling, he opened his mouth in an attempt
    to speak.
    "Uh...well..."
    "Or friends, we can just be friends still if that's what you want," Rachel replied hurriedly, fear in her
    eyes.
    "No, no! I'd like to... I mean... Rachel, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked hopefully. She grinned.
    "I'd love to," she replied, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Goodnight, Harry." She turned and walked
    through the doorway. Harry stood outside the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, stunned. _She
    asked me out. She kissed me,_ he thought to himself. He raised his hand to the place where her lips
    had been only moments before.
    "YES!" he cried, pumping his fist in the air. With a burst of energy, he ran back to his dormitory.
    *********************************
    


	22. Chapter 22


    **Chapter 22: Quidditch**
    Harry woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and jubilant. Flinging open the bedcurtains, he saw
    an exhausted Ron climbing out of bed.
    "Morning, Harry," he mumbled.
    "Good morning, Ron!" Harry answered, grinning. Ron looked at him tiredly.
    "What are you so happy about?" he asked. Harry just smiled, picked up a clean robe and headed for
    the shower.
    Saturday morning breakfast was not as well attended as usual, as many of the students had stayed up
    late and were sleeping in. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had still come; however, Harry was the only one
    in the room who was truly awake.
    "So guys, how was the dance?" he asked enthusiastically, digging into his eggs and bacon.
    "Really good," said Hermione, nodding happily. "I had fun, didn't you, Ron?"
    "Yeah... fun..." Ron said, trying to keep a straight look on his face; Harry knew that Ron didn't
    enjoy dancing quite as much as he pretended to. Hermione turned to look at Harry.
    "I never saw Rachel Wheaton, I don't think she came. That makes me kind of worried, Harry. Why would
    she go buy dress robes and then not go to the dance? She was obviously planning on coming...."
    Hermione rambled on logically for a few moments before noticing the smile on Harry's face. She paused.
    "Okay, out with it, Harry. What happened??" He laughed.
    "Well, yes, you're right, she was planning on going. But I passed her in the hallway and we decided
    that neither of us really liked dances so we would just hang out in my room for a while. We ended up
    talking for a really long time, I feel like I know her so well now. It was... nice," he finished off,
    smiling, a far-away look in his eyes as he remembered the night before.
    "And?" Hermione asked intently, her eyebrows raised expectantly. Harry blushed; nothing could ever get
    past Hermione!
    "We're dating now," he mumbled, a huge grin on his face. Ron choked on his eggs.
    "WHAT? Harry Potter has a girlfriend??" Ron said, a little too loudly. The entire Gryffindor table
    turned to look at Harry, along with most of the other students at other house tables. Harry stared
    at his plate, his face now beet red.
    "Yes, he does," came a sweet and quiet voice from behind him; he felt a hand on his shoulder and
    turned to see Rachel standing behind him. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked. He shook his head and she
    took a seat beside him. Hermione leaned across the table.
    "So how far are you on the latest Potions assignment?" she asked. After listening a few minutes to
    Hermione and Rachel's dull discussion about Potions, Harry turned to Ron.
    "I'm planning on having Quidditch try-outs this next week. Did you see the poster I put up?" Ron
    nodded. "okay. Well, I might need someone to help run them, so I thought maybe you could give me a
    hand, since you were on the team last year and all..." Ron's eyes lit up.
    "Of course, mate! Whatever you need. What are we planning on doing?"
    "Well, we'll need two new chasers and three new beaters, since all of last year's 7th years left. I just
    want you to help keep an eye on things as they try out, maybe take some notes on their good and bad points,
    so at the end we can compare and decide who should make it. Does that sound okay to you?" Ron nodded
    enthusiastically.
    "Sounds great, Harry. But," a look of concern came to his face. "Does that mean I'm still going to be
    keeper this year?"
    "Yes," Harry answered firmly. "You're a fine keeper, Ron, you're going to stay there." Ron sighed.
    "I'm trying out for the Quidditch team this year," Rachel interjected. Harry looked at her, surprised.
    "I didn't know you could fly," he admitted. She smiled.
    "Well, we're just going to have to see, aren't we, Potter?" she asked teasingly, rising from the table.
    "I'll see you around," she said, winking at him and leaving. Ron watched her leave, his eyes never leaving
    her body in a stare that made Harry want to punch him. Hermione elbowed him in the side.
    "Stop checking out the other girls, Ron. Especially the ones that are dating your friends," she said
    sarcastically. Ron came to his senses, shaking his head.
    "Sorry," he mumbled. "This is going to be one interesting year," he said to himself.
    ******************************
    After struggling through a hostile Monday, it felt good to Harry to put on his Quidditch robes and head
    out to the pitch for the first day of try-outs. He had been out here already a few times this year,
    making sure he was still in good condition for the team and thinking up new strategies. He was still
    worried that last year's ban on Quidditch playing may have affected his playing this year and that he
    would be out of practice, but things had seemed to be going along okay while he was by himself. _
    Hopefully they do while I'm playing with the team,_ he thought. He reached the locker
    room and found the box containing the Quaffle, the Bludger and the Snitch. Harry dragged the box out
    into the middle of the pitch and surveyed the playing area. The weather was still calm and comfortable
    for this time of year; early November could often be cold but right now it seemed fine. He was glad to
    see that it wouldn't be raining today; that would have affected the try-outs very negatively. He turned
    around as he heard Ron's voice from behind him.
    "Hey, mate!" he called cheerily as he entered the pitch carrying the beater's bats. Harry grunted in reply;
    he was still a little mad from the other day when Ron had been staring at Rachel. He sighed to himself,
    trying to put the incident behind him.
    "Ready for this, Ron?" he asked, attempting to be cheerful.
    "Bloody exciting if you ask me," Ron replied, grinning. After setting up the field, they awaited the
    arrival of the students who would be trying out. The first on the field were Jack Sloper and Andrew
    Kirke, the beaters who had been chosen last year to replace Fred and George when they had been banned
    from Quidditch. Next was Ginny Weasley, who was closely followed by an arrogant-looking boy and an
    attractive red-haired girl. A few more people, mostly 1st, 2nd, or 3rd years, Harry thought, walked
    onto the field behind them. Harry checked his watch.
    "Okay, it's time to start. First off, I know a few of you," he glanced at Jack, Andrew, and Ginny,
    "were on the team last year. This year we're starting all over again with new try-outs, so that means
    you aren't necessarially on again. Please just try your best. We should have the results posted by the
    end of the week. If you're trying out for chaser - please go over there. If you want to be a beater -
    come this way." After dividing the group, Harry and Ron led them both separately through some drills.
    Harry was extremely pleased with the results; everyone seemed to be doing well. Ron was thinking the
    same thing. They stood at the sidelines and watched the players above passing the Quaffle.
    "Harry, this is going to be impossible to decide," Ron said, a worried expression etched onto his face.
    "They're all good!" Harry nodded.
    "Well, this kid over here, looks about like a second year, he's having some problems. I don't think he
    is going to make it...." They began to take notes. After an hour of directing the players in various
    activities, Harry called them all down.
    "Alright, great job today everyone. Please all show up again tomorrow at the same time. We should have
    it narrowed down by Wednesday. Thanks for coming." The players got up and dragged their brooms of off
    the Quidditch pitch.
    *************************
    Harry spent that evening in the common room, pouring over the list of possible Quidditch players, as
    Hermione and Ron studied. Hermione was scribbling furiously on her History of Magic essay.
    "Finished!" she exclaimed, with a flourish. Ron looked over nonchalantly, peering at her parchment.
    "Oi, Hermione, would you mind if you just helped me a bit on this part about the revolution...." She looked
    at him disapprovingly. "I'm not asking to copy your homework! But maybe if I just read over your essay,
    it would inspire me...." He grinned. She shook her head, laughing.
    "You're still not going to read my homework. But I can explain to you what happened with the revolution,"
    she told him. Harry tuned out of the conversation. He had pretty much decided how the roster for the coming
    year would go; so far, his list read:
    _Beaters:
    Andrew Kirke
    Jack Sloper
    Chasers:
    Ginny Weasley
    Geoffrey Hooper or Euan Ambercrombie
    ??_
    He had yet to decide who the final chaser would be; probably another underclassman. He couldn't decide
    between Geoffrey and Euan, but knew he didn't want them both on the team; Angelina had been right last
    year when Geoffrey had tried out for Keeper, he was definitely a whiner. Euan seemed okay but he was only
    a second year. Harry sighed, putting away his list and picking up his Transfiguration homework.
    ************************
    The second day of try-outs was brutal. Harry had made the mistake of telling the players that right now
    they were all doing about the same, so they were all struggling to stand out. Andrew Kirke and one of
    the third years ended up in the hospital wing with various injuries after a second year tried to bewitch
    the Bludger to fly straight up. Harry immediately disqualified the second year, who had been doing poorly
    anyway. About five minutes into the try-out, Lavender Brown walked onto the field with a broom. Harry
    looked up, surprised.
    "Oh- hi, Lavendar. Did you want to try out?" he asked. She nodded.
    "I couldn't make it yesterday, I had a family emergency. Am I still able to try out?" she asked.
    "Sure," Harry replied. "Go ahead and go over here with this group." He watched her for a few minutes; she
    seemed to be doing an excellent job of passing the Quaffle, he thought, as several of the other players,
    including the red-haired girl, dropped it.
    After the try-out was over, the remaining players gathered on the ground.
    "Okay guys, I'm pretty sure where I am going to put everyone. After I confer with Ron, I will post the
    results. It could be as early as tonight or as late as tomorrow evening. Thanks for coming." The players
    walked off the field. Harry sighed; he was in for another long night.
    In the common room that evening, Harry, along with Ron, studied the list of prospective players. They were
    talking quietly in the corner of the room until the second year who had bewitched the Bludger came up to
    them.
    "Hey guys!" he squeaked excitedly. "I'm really sorry about that today at try-outs, I hope it doesn't impact
    my results, I just wanted to make sure-"
    "Maybe we should go up to our room," Ron said pointedly, as a few other familiar faces from try-outs started
    to filter over to Harry and Ron's corner. Quickly, they gathered their belongings and went upstairs.
    "Ugh, that kid drives me insane," Ron muttered, spreading their notes about the various players out over
    Harry's bed. The two continued to talk about the team until finally Harry felt that they had chosen the
    right players for each position. He wrote the list down and posted it in the Gryffindor common room, which
    was now almost completely deserted. A tiny boy woke up as Harry entered the room and rushed over after he
    had seen him post the list. His eyes scanned the page.
    _Gryffindor Quidditch Team Results:
    Beaters: Andrew Kirke
     Jack Sloper
    Chasers: Ginny Weasley
    Euan Ambercrombie
    Lavendar Brown _
    The boy reading the list squealed with delight. "I made it! I made it!" he cried. Harry smiled at him.
    "Congratulations, Euan. I'm sure you'll do great," he told him, before heading upstairs for bed.
    *****************
    The next morning was a disaster for Harry. His breakfast was far from peaceful.
    "Harry... watch out, here they come..." Ron muttered under his breath. Harry turned to see an angry red
    haired girl approach the table; he recognized her as Vicky Frobisher, one of the girls who had not made
    the team.
    "I just want you to know, I was better than those younger kids! You're going to regret not having me on
    the team!" she huffed before stalking off. Geoffrey Hooper sat next to Harry.
    "How come I didn't make it?" he whined.
    "I'm really sorry Geoffrey, but there's only so many spots on the team..." Harry explained.
    "It's not fair!" he complained. "Lavendar made it and she only came one day, I came both days and I'm not
    on the team!"
    Harry dropped his head into his hands. "This is gonna be a long day," he muttered.
    ***************
    By evening Harry was not in a much better mood. He had been hounded all day by angry students who had been
    cut from the team; he was beginning to think that this was a lot harder job than it had seemed. He didn't
    think his day could get worse until he walked to the staircase for prefect duty and saw Draco Malfoy
    sitting there alone. _A wonderful ending to a great day,_ he thought sarcastically to himself.
    Draco looked up. "The other two already left. I guess it's just you and me, Potter," he said, a smirk
    forming across his face. "You want the even or the odd floors?"
    "Even," he grunted. Draco nodded, grabbing his backpack and walking off.
    "You've got the dungeons too, Potter, I'm not doing those." Harry spun around.
    "That's not fair, Malfoy. I'll have more to do than you will," he complained. Draco smirked again and
    laughed.
    "I'm soo sorry Potter," he said sarcastically, disappearing around the corner.
    "Great," Harry mumbled to himself. He was exhausted; prefect duty, Quidditch try-outs, and homework were
    definitely taking their toll. He hadn't imagined it would be this hard to have the responsibility of both
    Prefect and Quidditch Captain. He decided to head to the dungeons first, since he knew Malfoy wouldn't be
    checking there. "Bloody git," he mumbled, thinking about Draco. "Why does he always have to be such a-"
    "Harry!" he heard a woman's voice call. "Harry, help me!" Harry began to run through the passages of the
    dungeons, looking for who was calling his name.
    "Hello? Who's there?" he called, worried. The voice had become more distressed and was practically
    screaming now.
    "Harry! Harry! Help me!" _It sounds so familiar,_ he thought to himself._Who is it?_ Then it
    suddenly occured to him: Adele.
    "Adele?? Is that you?" he asked, extremely confused. He turned a corner and saw her lying helplessly on
    the floor, a look of pain on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked, fear rising in his chest. She looked up
    at him but her expression was oddly blank. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked again. Suddenly her
    eyes cleared and she seemed to be conscious again.
    "Harry," she hissed. "Get out of here. It's a trap."
    ********************
    I know, I know, another cliffy. But I have to keep up the suspense!! Thanks to my reviewers, you guys are
    amazing!! 


	23. Chapter 23


    Okay guys, we are definitely getting into the action now... Enjoy!!! A special thanks to Corridore for
    putting the Harry Potter Lexicon site on her website so I could look all of this stuff up!!!
    (www.hp-lexicon.org)
    **Chapter 23 **
    Harry's feet stayed glued to the floor. Adele had told him to leave, but he seemed unable to move; he could
    only stare at her in horror. Her whole body shuddered with pain as she turned to look at him.
    "Leave, Harry. Now. RUN!" she cried, falling onto the floor again. She looked up at him, her eyes blank
    again. "Help me, Harry. Please help me," she whispered. Harry's brain suddenly clicked into place.
    _The Imperio curse,_ he thought frantically. He began to back away slowly, then took off at a full
    run. He heard a voice behind him mutter "_Petrificus Totalus_," and felt his body become rigid.
    "Harry Potter," said a sinister voice behind him. "Always the little hero..." A figure in a dark clothing
    appeared in front of him, pulling off an invisibility cloak to reveal the face of a familiar-looking man;
    Harry didn't know who he was but he remembered him from the Department of Mysteries. Harry tried to say
    something but his lips would not even move; he felt as if he were made of stone. The man reached down and
    grabbed Adele's arm roughly. He dragged her a few feet until he was within an arm's length of Harry. He
    dug into his pocket and pulled out a stone that was glowing blue. Grinning evilly, he laid a finger on
    Harry's shoulder and Harry felt himself being pulled irresistibly backwards. _It's a portkey,_ he
    thought desperately, still unable to move. _What's going to happen now?_
    *******************
    The noise in the Gryffindor common room had begun to die down. Ron was sitting in an armchair, a dull
    expression on his face as he studied his astromony chart. In an unusual move, Hermione dropped the book
    she was reading and gazed out the window, sighing. Ron looked at her, worried.
    "What's wrong, Mione?" She shook her head.
    "Harry should have been back by now. What if something's wrong?" she asked. Ron shrugged.
    "If it would make you feel better, we could go look for him. Maybe he is just talking to whoever he was
    partnered with." Hermione sighed again.
    "I guess he could be... I'm still worried about him, Ron. What if he ended up on duty with Draco again? I
    know last time he said they split up, they didn't do the round together..."
    "What?" Ron asked, concern overwhelming his expression. "He did a prefect round without a partner? I thought
    you could get into big trouble for that."
    "We could get into big trouble for most of the things we do, Ron. Now let's go find him." Hermione answered.
    Ron laughed.
    "I think we're really starting to affect you negatively, Hermione..." he said, putting his arm around her
    waist and walking with her out of the common room.
    *****************
    After an hour of searching, Ron and Hermione were no longer as relaxed about the subject. Harry was nowhere
    to be found.
    "Ron, what happened to him? What's going on?" Hermione asked, clearly distraught. Ron was at a loss for
    words.
    "I dunno... I guess... well, let's find Dumbledore. Maybe he knows, and if he doesn't, he can send people
    out to look," Ron reasoned. Hermione nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, and the pair took off running
    towards the Headmaster's office. They reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance.
    "We don't know the password!" Hermione cried, frustrated. They began to call off possible words.
    "Fizzing Whizbee!"
    "Mars bars!"
    "Sugar quill!"
    "Lemon drop!"
    "Snickers!"
    "Chocolate frogs!"
    "Twizzlers!" Hermione screamed, kicking the door. The doorway opened and she looked at it, stunned.
    "That was it? Come on, Ron!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.
    "Mione, what the bloody hell is a twitzler??" he asked, confused.
    "Twizzler, Ron, it's a muggle candy, but never mind that now! We've got to get to Dumbledore's office!"
    They ran up the stairway, taking the steps two at a time. Breathing heavily, they knocked on the door,
    then barged in without waiting for an answer. Dumbledore looked up at them over his half-moon glasses.
    "What has happened?" he asked, standing up as he felt the urgency of the situation.
    "Harry's disappeared," Hermione started, tears streaming down her face. "We can't find him anywhere, he
    should have been back from prefect duty hours ago..." Dumbledore turned to Fawkes.
    "Alert the teachers. We will search the entire school until he is found." Fawkes took off and flew out
    the door.
    "Where... where do you think he is?" Hermione asked in a timid voice. Dumbledore sat down, his head in
    his hands, looking older than he ever had.
    "I do not know, Miss Granger. I wish I did. But if my suspicions are correct, he is no longer inside the
    building." Hermione gasped. Just then, Professor McGonagall burst into the room.
    "Albus - Fawkes came - "
    "Mineva," he interrupted her. "Please go to the hospital wing and check to see if Adele Fleur is still
    there. Report back to me immediately." With a curt nod, she left the room. Hermione sank onto the floor,
    sobbing. Ron looked up at Dumbledore, fire burning in his eyes.
    "What's going on?" he yelled angrily. "How come you can't tell us?" Dumbledore sighed deeply.
    "It would have been Harry's choice whether or not to tell you. Obviously, he chose not to. I must respect
    his wishes." Ron picked up a book and threw it angrily across the room. The fiery anger coursed through
    his body. Finally relenting to his emotions, he too kneeled on the floor, and held Hermione close.
    "It's going to be okay," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair as he choked back tears.
    "Everything's going to be fine."
    *********************
    Harry fell with a blur into a dark room. He heard Adele gasp with pain beside him. He fell awkwardly onto
    the floor, still unable to move because of the body bind curse. He heard cold laughter above him and
    his blood turned to ice: _Voldemort_.
    "They have come at last! Jugson, you have done your job well and you will be rewarded," the voice said.
    Harry hated that voice; it haunted his nights and days, his dreams and his life.
    "Thank you, master," he heard the man mumble. A cool blue light flickered on and lit up the room; instead
    of providing heat, however, the temperature seemed to drop considerably. Harry would have shivered had
    he been capable of moving. The Dark Lord's red eyes stared into Harry's.
    "And now," he began, his cold voice triumphant, "Let us begin fulfilling the prophesies."
    **********************
    Okay, now that was a bad cliffy, I apologize for that one. But it makes it so much more exciting!
    Yes - I know I'm evil.
    


	24. Chapter 24


    **Chapter 24: The Confrontation**
    "_Finite Incantem,_" Voldemort commanded with a swish of his wand. Harry sprawled out across
    the ground as his arms and legs broke free of the body bind curse. Breathing heavily, he jumped to his
    feet, his legs shaking slightly. Pulling his wand out of his robes, he faced Voldemort and pointed it
    straight at him. His scar was throbbing but Harry ignored it; there was nothing he could do about it now.
    The Dark Lord laughed, the cold mirthless sound ringing throughout the room.
    "My, my, Mr. Potter, you seem to want to get straight to the point tonight. And so we shall." He smiled,
    if you could call it that; his thin lips curved upward and his eyes glinted dangerously. "We shall duel
    again. How many times is this now, I have forgotten... But this time will be different."
    "Five," Harry said defiantly. "Five times we've dueled. And this will be the fifth time I escape." The
    Dark Lord's laughter filled the room again.
    "Quite sure of ourselves, aren't we, Potter?" Voldemort hissed, his eyes narrowing. "We shall solve that.
    _Crucio!_" He cried. Harry felt pain beyond pain, the worst sensation he had ever felt in his life.
    He heard screams louder than he imagined was possible. Suddenly it all stopped. He was on the cold ground
    panting, sweat trickling down his forehead. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and stood again.
    "Potter, I am getting quite tired of this pride of yours. You should learn to be more humble in front of
    the Dark Lord." He pointed his wand at Harry again. "_Crucio!_" Harry fell as he felt the pain stabbing
    him like a thousand knives, and he once again heard the screaming, but this time recognized it as his own.
    As the spell stopped, he gasped for breath and struggled to stand again. He managed to, feeling himself
    swaying a bit. The Dark Lord looked at him, surprised.
    "Well, I am amazed by your stamina... Your courage in the face of danger," he mocked. He pulled up the
    sleeve of his robe and touched a spot on his arm; Harry knew the Dark Mark was located there. Voldemort
    seemed to know what he was thinking and answered his unspoken question.
    "Of course I can't kill you without an audience. That wouldn't be any fun, would it, Potter?" he asked,
    grinning again. "Ah, I have waited for this moment for so long! You are the final obstacle in my path
    to greatness and you will be removed - permanently." Harry glanced at Adele. He had forgotten she was
    with him until that moment when he realized the prophesy could not be fulfilled until she died. She
    looked up at him with fear in her eyes and Harry felt a pang of guilt. Adele had to die for him.
    Her prophesy rang in his ears: _The death of the one who Sees beyond must occur... She will fall protecting
    the one who will vanquish the Dark Lord...._
    The sound of sudden popping noises all around them startled Harry. Death Eaters began to appear, just like
    they had after Cedric's death; but there were more, many more. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. _We'll
    never escape,_ he thought to himself desperately. Then he spied the only possible chance for survival:
    the small blue stone they had used as a portkey lay thrown aside on the ground. _I can't let him see,_
    he thought desperately. The Dark Lord smirked.
    "Isn't this a nice party, Potter? Let's play a little game... I'm sure you're familiar with this one by now...
    _Crucio!_" Harry fell once again to the ground, twitching in pain. He gasped as it finally stopped and
    heard the Death Eaters around him laughing loudly. Harry quickly realized the stone was only a few inches
    away. He put his hand on top of it as he stood up and moved back toward Adele. It was no longer warm and
    glowing; instead, it was cold to the touch. _Damn it,_ he thought. _It's not going to work... I'll
    have to do the spell again..._ He wished Hermione was here; this was a very advanced spell and he was
    not sure he would be able to do it. He continued walking backwards and felt himself trip over
    Adele's feet; she was still lying on the ground in a state of shock. Her breath had become ragged and Harry
    knew they had to get back quickly or they would both be dead. _Please work, please work...._ he pleaded
    silently. _If this doesn't work,_ he thought to himself, _I'll never see Rachel again..._ With
    renewed strength, he took a deep breath. Behind his back, he pointed his wand at the stone.
    "_Portus,_" he mumbled quietly, and the world around him swirled away.
    **************************
    Professor McGonagall had managed to bring Ron and Hermione back to their common room; they were both extremely
    upset. Professor Dumbledore had instructed her to make them comfortable and have them stay inside of the
    room. After a few hours of searching, the staff met back in Dumbledore's office. Professor Snape pulled
    Professor Dumbledore aside.
    "Albus, I have searched the dungeons and found no sign of Mr. Potter. But the Dark Lord is calling me; I
    must go." Dumbledore nodded.
    "Then go, Severus. You will most likely find out more there about Harry's whereabouts than we will here."
    Professor Snape turned and walked out the door, his cloak billowing. Dumbledore faced the crowd of teachers.
    "Well? Any signs?" he asked.
    "I searched the fourth and fifth floors and found nothing," Professor Flitwick squeaked.
    "I didn't find anything on the first or second floors," Professor Sprout said sadly.
    "Nothin' round the castle nor the forest," Hagrid said, downcast.
    "I checked all the dormitories - no sign of him," Professor Lupin said breathlessly. He looked up at
    Dumbledore. "Now what do we do?" he asked. Dumbledore sighed.
    "Now... we wait."
    *************************
    Hermione and Ron sat in an oversized armchair in the common room, the thick silence between them unbroken
    for nearly an hour. Professor McGonagall had left to search the school with the rest of the teachers a
    while before, and Hermione and Ron felt very alone. Hermione finally shattered the silence.
    "Ron," she whispered. "It's getting late, maybe we should go to bed..." He glared at her. "Or maybe not,"
    she mumbled, staring back at the dying embers in the fireplace. She checked her watch; it was nearly
    3 AM. They had not discovered Harry was missing until nearly midnight, and the time seemed to have just
    flown by. Now, however, it had slowed considerably, and each minute that passed seemed like an hour.
    A loud crashing noise directly behind them caused Hermione to scream. Turning quickly in her chair, her
    eyes widened at the sight. Harry and Adele Fleur had appeared in the middle of the common room, their
    clothing dirty and torn and both of them out of breath.
    "HARRY!" she shrieked. "Harry, are you okay? Oh, Harry!" He stumbled out from beneath Adele.
    "I'm fine, not sure about Adele... someone go get Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore..." Ron took off running.
    Hermione stayed, her hands covering her mouth. Ron was back within five minutes. A few teachers helped
    to conjure Adele onto a stretcher and take her up to the hospital wing. Dumbledore turned to Harry.
    "Please follow me," he said. Harry followed Dumbledore up to his office to begin the retelling of the
    night's events.
    **********************
    Rachel Wheaton paced her room nervously, tears running down her face and splashing onto her white
    nightgown. _Oh Merlin, please let him be alive,_ she thought to herself. All of the other girls in
    her dormitory had fallen asleep long before, but then again, none of them was really aware of what was
    going on. When she had tried to find out by questioning Professor Lupin, who had come into their room
    looking for Harry, she was told that he was in danger and that she would be told as soon as they had
    information. _He's always in trouble, why did I have to choose him?_ she asked herself, really not
    meaning it. She knew that if he was safe, that was all that mattered.
    *********************
    "...and so I turned the rock into a portkey and touched Adele and we somehow ended up in the Gryffindor
    common room," Harry finished. Dumbledore looked at him a bit sternly.
    "You're lucky to be alive, Harry. You had the entire school worried sick about you. Do you know what
    started this all?" he asked.
    "Er... the prophesy?" he guessed, a little confused. Dumbledore shook his head.
    "No. The fact that you did your prefect round alone. You and Mr. Malfoy's dislike for one another should
    not put others or yourselves in danger, as it did tonight. Had Draco been there, he could have gone for
    help;
    that is why prefects do their rounds in pairs." Harry hung his head guiltily.
    "I'm sorry," he whispered.
    "Well, everything turned out okay in the end. Just be cautious for next time." Harry nodded and started to
    leave the room. "And also, Mr. Potter - for violating the prefect rules, you will serve a detention next
    week with Professor McGonagall, as will Mr. Malfoy." Harry nodded; he was a little angry about this but
    too exhausted to complain. He turned to leave the room again.
    "Oh, and Harry - I do believe there is a young woman in the Hufflepuff common room waiting to see you," he
    added, a twinkle in his eye. "I know it's past curfew but I'm sure it won't hurt, just this once..."
    Harry smiled a bit. "Thank you Professor Dumbledore," he said, leaving. He walked through the empty hallways
    until he reached the Hufflepuff common room entrance. "Swedish Short-Snout," he said; he remembered the
    password from the last time he had walked Rachel to her room. The portrait gave him a disapproving glance
    but swung open nevertheless. He walked in and saw no one. He craned his neck to look up the stairs to the
    girls' rooms.
    "Rachel?" he whispered quietly. "Rachel, are you up there?" he asked, a bit louder this time. The door
    was flung open with a bang.
    "HARRY!" she cried, running down the steps and into his arms. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
    "Oh, Harry, what happened?" He sighed.
    "It's really kind of a long story, Rach..."
    "Tell me," she demanded.
    "Okay, well, I'll tell you the parts I can... See, Voldemort couldn't kill me as a baby but he keeps trying
    to in order to fulfull a prophesy." He was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't flinched at all when he
    mentioned Voldemort's name. He launched again into the story. "So pretty much every year, he comes up with
    a new scheme to kill me... I think there's going to be more than one this year though, since I'm still
    alive..." He finished explaining the situation, leaving out the parts about his and Adele's prophesy, since
    they were both intertwined. Rachel looked up at him when he was done.
    "I'm just so glad you're safe," she said, hugging him as she ran her fingers through his messy black hair.
    "I've never been that worried in my life..."
    "I couldn't just let go and let him win. I had to find a way out, Rach... I knew I had to see you again."
    She smiled, brushing a lock of hair out of his face.
    "You're amazing, Harry Potter," she told him, looking deep into his eyes. Their faces were pulled irresistibly
    together and their lips touched. She pulled back and smiled at him again.
    "That was nice," he mumbled, blushing.
    "Would you like to do it again?" she whispered into his ear.
    **************************
    Romance AND action... hopefully a little bit for everyone!!!
    The story is not over, it's really only about the middle of the school year, so there will most likely be
    many more chapters!
    


	25. Chapter 25


    **Chapter 25 **
    Harry groaned and rolled over in his bed as the first rays of sunlight snuck in between his bedcurtains.
    He had not gotten back to his own bed until nearly 4 AM, but he had classes today and he knew that
    he was still expected to attend. He pulled his pillow over his head as he felt someone poke him in his
    side.
    "Harry mate, wake up, we're going to be late for Potions!" Ron said frantically, running across the room
    to look for his other shoe. This news woke Harry up fairly quickly; the idea of an angry Snape on a day
    that was already destined to be bad was not a positive thought. Mustering all the willpower he possessed,
    he drug himself out of bed and pulled on some clean robes. Grabbing his backpack with one hand and running
    the other through his hair, he looked into the mirror's reflection: his hair was wild, as usual, and his eyes
    were bloodshot. He did not notice, as had those around him, his gradual increase in height and his broadened shoulders.
    "Earth to Harry!" Ron yelled. "Potions starts in five minutes!" The pair took off running; they managed to
    make it to the dungeons in four and a half minutes. Harry had a stitch in his side; he held his hand up
    to his chest, panting heavily. The boys went to the table where Hermione was sitting and collapsed into chairs.
    "I thought you were going to skip Potions!" she whispered. "You didn't come to breakfast, where were you??"
    "Overslept," Harry grunted, rubbing his eyes. Hermione sighed.
    "How late were you up, Harry? After all that, anyone would be tired. Then you go talk to your girlfriend?" Ron asked teasingly.
    A sudden rap on the desk snapped them all to attention. Professor Snape gave them all a loathing glance.
    "Although I'm sure your love lives are fascinating, class has begun. Fifteen points from Gryffindor," he said, emotionless.
    Harry noticed that Snape was looking extra pale today, if that was even possible, and that his eyes also looked bloodshot
    and tired. _He was there,_ he realized suddenly. _He was one of the Death Eaters last night, and he didn't even try
    to help me...._ His mind no longer fully functioning because of lack of sleep, Harry became angry. _He would have just
    let me be killed by Voldemort, he wasn't even going to stop him,_ he thought.
    "....Every Memory Potion requires Jobberknoll feathers... carefully prepared and placed into the cauldron AFTER the boomslang skin..."
    Harry tried to focus on his potion but knew he was doing it wrong. His cauldron was now hissing loudly and several other students
    had turned to see what the noise was. The Slytherins two tables down were giggling madly; Rachel shot Harry a sympathetic look
    from across the room. Snape strode over to where Harry sat and shook his head, staring into the cauldron.
    "Mr. Potter," he said loudly; the whole room's attention was focused on this specific event. "How many times must a Memory Potion
    be stirred and in what direction?" Harry was so tired that all he could think about was his anger at Snape. He blurted out the
    first thing that came to mind.
    "Three... counter-clockwise," he guessed, completely unconcerned about whether it was the right answer. Professor Snape's eyes
    narrowed.
    "Two, clockwise," he snapped. "Detention, Mr. Potter, for not paying attention in class. Please see me when the lesson is over."
    He swished his wand above the cauldron and the potion disappeared. Professor Snape turned back to face the class. "For those
    who have been listening, now is the time to add the rat spleen...." Harry was enraged. His anger continued building until the
    bell rang; the rest of the class put away their belongings and scurried out of the classroom. Ron gave Harry a sympathetic look
    before leaving along with the rest of them; he didn't want to get on Snape's bad side. As slowly as possible, Harry gathered his
    things and walked over to Professor Snape's desk. He looked up.
    "As you know, Mr. Potter, an exception was made to have you put in this class. If you are finding it too difficult to follow
    even simple instructions-"
    "I'M TIRED," Harry burst out. Snape looked at him harshly.
    "As am I, Potter, but that's no reason for your dismal preformance today!"
    "Of course you'd be tired, you were there last night too, but you didn't even do anything! I could have been dead right now
    and you wouldn't even have tried to stop him! Voldemort would have-"
    "Don't say the Dark Lord's name," Snape hissed, anger burning in his eyes as he glanced around the room to make sure that it
    was empty. "For your information, Potter, I saved your life last night-"
    "Saved my life??" Harry roared, losing all sense of dignity. "The hell you did! You probably just stood there laughing with
    the rest of them-"
    "That's enough foul language for today and that will cost you another detention, Mr. Potter. I did indeed save your life last
    night. Do you really think that you were powerful enough to preform the Portus charm? No sixth year could do that! Most adult
    wizards can't!" Harry was at a loss for words.
    "I - I did it," he mumbled lamely.
    "No, I did it," Snape replied, the look in his eyes clearly demonstrating that he relished the idea that Harry was wrong.
    "You think you're so powerful Potter, but you're wrong." He shuffled the papers on his desk. "Detention will start next week,
    because I am aware that you have one tonight with Professor McGonagall. You are dismissed." Clamping his mouth shut so he
    would refrain from saying anything else stupid, Harry hurried off to Herbology. Professor Sprout was not happy.
    "Mr. Potter, you're late - ten points from Gryffindor," she told him. Hermione was quite angry with him since she had just
    answered a question correctly and gotten ten points only moments before. She was still holding her grudge as the trio left
    Herbology to go to lunch.
    "Hermione, come on. I'm sorry. I'm having a bad enough day without having people mad at me too," he pleaded. She sighed,
    rolling her eyes.
    "All right, I suppose. But really, Harry, that temper of yours..."
    "I know, I know," he muttered, as the person who had confronted him about his temper earlier that year rushed up to him.
    "Harry!" Rachel cried. "I thought Snape was gonna eat you alive or something, he looked furious," she joked. He shook his head.
    "It's been a bad day, Rach..." he mumbled, laying his forehead on the table as he sat down.
    "I'm sorry," she whispered, placing her hands on his shoulders as she stood behind him. Harry stiffened at first but slowly
    relaxed as her hands began to rub his upper back, working out the knots and tension. "Wow, you're really stressed!" she said,
    amazed.
    "You have no idea," he told her, closing his eyes and sighing happily as he relaxed after what seemed to be years of tension.
    ******************
    After a short but revitalizing nap, Harry headed to his detention that night with Professor McGonagall. He sat quietly at his
    desk and copied the Prefect Handbook word for word; the room was silent except for the scratching of his pen. McGonagall sat
    sternly at her desk, grading homework. A sudden bang in the hallway startled them both. McGonagall got up hastily and hurried
    into the hallway. After a moment, Harry too got out of his chair and glanced out the door. He was amazed at the sight.
    Bursts of light and color were whizzing by the door and popping loudly. It reminded Harry of Fred and George's fireworks display
    the year before. Two Ravenclaw boys were huddled behind a statue to the left, pointing excitedly and laughing. McGonagall saw
    them immediately and her anger flared up.
    "Ackerly! Bradley!" She screamed, her normally tidy hair falling out of its neat bun. Her face was red and furious. "Detentions,
    both of you! Up to the Headmaster's office, immediately!" she cried, grabbing their arms. She turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter, you
    are dismissed." She pulled the two boys into a standing position and dragged them down the hall towards Dumbledore's office.
    Harry could hear her voice echoing off the walls as she went. "...was a better place, a safer place without those Weasleys!
    Now, with people trying to replace those twins, well I don't know what you two have gotten yourselves into..."Harry grinned.
    No one could ever replace Fred and George Weasley. They were living legends.
    ******************
    His detention having been cancelled, Harry was in slightly better spirits. Although McGonagall was a fair teacher and she had
    made his detention quite bearable, he still loved to see her when she got angry - especially when it was with someone from outside
    his house. _Maybe they'll make up for all the points I lost today,_ he thought happily. He headed back towards the common
    room, taking a slight detour so he could walk past the Hufflepuff common room. As he did, he saw Rachel just outside the entrance,
    talking with a girl from Ravenclaw.
    "Well, I'm not sure about number 34... but I guess we'll see at next week's study session..." She waved goodbye to the girl and
    her eyes lit upon Harry. "Hi!" she said happily, hugging him. "I thought you had a detention tonight with McGonagall?" He grinned.
    "I did, but I managed to get out of it... some Ravenclaw guys set off fireworks in the hallway..." She laughed.
    "oh, I bet old McGonagall loved that," she said grinning. "Wish I could have been there."
    "So how did Quidditch try-outs go today?" Harry asked her. Rachel's smile faded a bit.
    "Oh, they were okay," she said in an off-handed manner. "Although I don't think I'm much of a sportsy person. I'm not sure I'll go
    back tomorrow."
    "What?" Harry asked, incredulous. "Why not?"
    "It just... didn't go very well," Rachel replied, carefully examining the sleeve of her robe as she stared downwards. She looked
    up. "You're first practice is tonight, isn't it?" Harry nodded. "Well, good luck with that. I'd better get started on my homework...
    See you around, Harry," she said, waving as she walked through the entrance to the common room. Harry stood outside, a bit confused
    at the sudden change of subject and at Rachel's abrupt disappearance.
    "Girls," he muttered to himself, wandering back towards his own common room.
    *********************
    Quidditch practice that night was a disaster. The team had played wonderfully at try-outs, but the new members were just a little
    too exhuberant for Harry's liking; stray Bludgers were flying across the pitch and the Quaffle was thrown several times just a
    little too hard. He ended up spending most of the evening trying to hold back Ron as he attempted to attack Jack Sloper for hitting
    Ginny in the head with a Bludger. With a chaser in the hospital wing, a beater running for his life, and a keeper who was threatening
    to kill the other teammates, Harry called the practice off a bit early. Defeatedly, he walked back to the dormitories with Ron.
    "That bloody little... why, I'm gonna..." Ron muttered angrily as they trudged through the brittle, brown grass.
    "It wasn't too bad, for a first practice," Harry said aloud as they entered the castle, trying to convince himself of the fact.
    He heard laughter behind him.
    "Not too bad, Potter? Looked like circus gone wrong to me," Draco Malfoy snickered, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, who guffawed loudly.
    "Shut it, Malfoy," Harry replied, rolling his eyes and ignoring the comment.
    "Potter, I have a feeling your mud-blood girlfriend isn't going to make the Quidditch team! What a pity," he said, laughing again.
    Harry froze.
    "What did you just say, Malfoy?" he asked dangerously. The group of Slytherins continued laughing.
    "Sorry, Potter, didn't know you lost your hearing when that last Bludger hit you! I said your MUD-BLOOD GIRLFRIEND isn't going to make
    the QUIDDITCH TEAM! Not with the broom she had today, anyway." Harry opened his mouth to respond but found himself being pulled away
    from the scene. He looked down, surprised, and saw Rachel tugging at his sleeve.
    "Rachel, did you hear what they just said? I'm not going to let them get away with that-"
    "Oh, Harry, it doesn't matter anyway. I know they're all a bunch of pure-blood freaks. You don't need to cause another scene, I think
    you've got enough detentions for this week."
    "Don't tell me what to do!" he roared, breaking away from her grip. She looked up at him in shock.
    "Fine," she snapped. "I won't. Come and find me when you've come to your senses." Harry watched her stalk away angrily.
    "Why," he moaned to himself. Ron stood next to him, shaking his head.
    "Harry, that was thick, even for you..." he said. Harry looked at him, confused.
    "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Ron looked surprised.
    "You mean you didn't hear? She didn't tell you?" he asked.
    "Tell me what?" Harry asked indignantly.
    "The Slytherins, well, sort of played a trick on her today... jinxed her broom not to fly, she couldn't even get off the ground during try-outs."
    "Why didn't you tell me that before?" Harry demanded fiercely.
    "Mate, it's all over school... I thought everyone'd heard already." Harry smacked his hand across his face.
    "I AM thick, Ron... thanks for tellling me..."
    "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll forgive you," he replied comfortingly.
    "I hope so," Harry muttered.
    ***************************
    Another chapter up! Thanks for all of you that are reading!
    


	26. Chapter 26


    **Chapter 26 **
    That evening, Harry collapsed into a chair near Hermione, completely exhausted and mad at himself.
    "Oi, I'm glad tomorrow's Friday..." Ron said, digging through his bag for his Astronomy assignment. Harry
    was deep in thought; Hermione glanced at him worriedly.
    "Harry, did you and Rachel get into a fight?" she asked.
    "No!" he said defensively. "Well, maybe," he admitted. Hermione smiled knowingly.
    "You know, you're not the only one who has bad days. Or family problems, for that matter." Hermione added.
    "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Hermione shrugged.
    "Rachel got an owl today during lunch. I'm not sure what it was, but she was upset about it. Maybe you
    should ask her about it," she suggested.
    "Ask her about it? She's mad enough at me right now! So I'm just supposed to go up to her and say, 'Hi,
    I know you're mad at me, are you mad at your family too?' That'll help loads, Mione," he muttered,
    swinging his legs over the side of the chair. Hermione shrugged again.
    "Just trying to help... You need to talk to her sometime, Harry." Harry ignored this comment and continued
    his homework. Hermione yawned. "It's getting late, I think I'll go off to sleep. Goodnight, you two."
    "Goodnight," they chorused. After she was gone, Harry turned to Ron.
    "Ron, what am I going to do? I have to make it up to Rachel, somehow..."
    "Hmmm," Ron said, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Do something nice for her... romantic, you know? Girls
    love that stuff." Harry sighed.
    "I guess. I'm not very good at the romance stuff, but I'll try." Ron grinned and slapped him on the back.
    "That's my boy. Now let's go to bed, I'm exhausted."
    "Me too," mumbled Harry, dragging himself out of the chair and up the steps to his comfy bed.
    *********************
    Friday had been a less eventful day for Rachel Wheaton than the day before had been; she had not returned
    to Quidditch try-outs and had not written back to her father after the latest owl. Instead she spent the
    afternoon, when not in classes, studying quietly in the library. She glanced at her watch and realized it
    was almost time for dinner. _Maybe I'll head upstairs and wash my face before I go to the Great Hall,_
    she thought to herself. Shaking herself mentally to get rid of that tired feeling that homework always
    gave her, Rachel walked quickly back upstairs and into her dormitory. After splashing some warm water on her
    face, she seemed to have woken up a little. She was searching for her other pair of shoes when she heard
    a sharp tap on the window. Looking up suddenly, she spied a white snowy owl just outside. She went to the
    window and undid the latch; the bird came in and landed regally on her bedpost.
    "Who are you here for?" she asked kindly, spying the letter tied to the owl's leg. She reached for it and
    pulled it off, then read the untidy script on the outside: "Rachel". Glancing at her watch, she realized it
    was nearly time for dinner to begin. She threw the envelope onto her nightstand and went to eat.
    When she returned, she had forgotten all about it. Not until she was getting ready for bed did she remember
    she had not yet read the mysterious letter addressed to her. Quickly, in the privacy of her own bed, with
    the curtains drawn, she opened the envelope.
    Rach,
    Hope your day went a little better today. I'm sorry about
    being such a jerk yesterday. Will you forgive me? Meet me
    tomorrow night in front of the Great Hall at 5 PM if you
    do.
    Sweet dreams,
    Harry
    She smiled as she laid in her bed, fluffing her pillow to make it more comfortable. She was happy that Harry
    had decided to work things out with her, but most of all she was relieved that the letter hadn't been from
    her father.
    ********************
    Harry stood nervously outside the Great Hall, glancing at his watch. 4:48. Two minutes. _What if she
    doesn't come?_ he worried. He felt a soft tap on his shoulder and spun around, startled. It was Rachel.
    "Hi," he said, relieved.
    "Hi," she answered, grinning. Harry stared at her, amazed. She wasn't wearing her normal Hogwarts robes,
    but muggle clothes: a casual but beautiful flowing dark-pink dress and nice black shoes.
    "You look, er, nice," he managed to stutter. She laughed.
    "Thanks," she replied, looking deep into his eyes. He was wearing cologne, she was close enough to where
    she could smell it. "You smell nice," she told him. He blushed and they both laughed.
    "So, what exactly are we doing?" Rachel asked awkwardly, looking around.
    "I thought we could go for a walk?" Harry said uncertainly.
    "Sure!" Rachel agreed. "Sounds like a great idea." The couple walked off hand in hand out of the huge oak
    door. A red-haired boy stopped to watch them on his way into the Great Hall.
    "Ron, what are you looking at?" Hermione asked, mystified. He grinned.
    "Nothing, Mione. Let's go have dinner."
    *******************
    "Harry... how much further?" Rachel asked, panting. _I shouldn't have worn these shoes, this is insane..._
    she thought to herself.
    "Just a little bit... Ah, here we are," he replied as they came to a clearing. Rachel was a bit wary about
    what they would find; she, unlike Harry, had never been in the Forbidden Forest before. She gasped as she
    saw the sight.
    "Harry... it's beautiful!" she said, her eyes wide with amazement. The clearing was lit up with tiny glowing
    faries, each of them shining like white Christmas lights; the darkness of the forest and the setting sun
    made them shine even brighter. There was a soft blanket stretched across the ground and a picnic basket full
    of food in the middle. The entire scene was surrounded by dark red roses. "This is so romantic!" she
    squealed excitedly.
    "Do you like it?" Harry asked, smiling.
    "Do I like it? It's gorgeous!" She laughed. They sat on the ground near the basket.
    "Rachel, I just wanted you to know I'm sorry I was such a jerk... I know I can't control my temper sometimes,
    and I'm trying to work on it."
    "Harry, it's okay. I forgive you," she said softly, smiling. "We'll work on it." He smiled back and opened
    the basket of food. "That smells delicious!" Rachel exclaimed. "Where did you get it from?"
    "You know me... I know all the secret passages around the castle," he replied nonchalantly, silently thanking
    Dobby for the work he had done. Rachel rolled her eyes.
    "Harry Potter, mischief maker extraordinaire," she said laughing. They began eating and talking.
    "Hermione said you looked upset at lunch the other day," Harry brought up suddenly. "Was anything wrong?"
    Rachel looked down at the blanket, studying it as if it held the secrets to the universe.
    "No... just a letter from my father," she replied, attempting a smile. Harry's eyes stared into hers,
    his brilliant green orbs full of concern.
    "Rachel," he asked. "What's wrong?"
    ******************
    Yay - another chapter. What is Rachel's secret? What is her family like? Wait until the next chapter!!
    


	27. Chapter 27


    **Chapter 27: Family**
    "Rachel, what's wrong?" Harry asked again. Rachel sighed.
    "I might as well tell you. Where should I start," she mused, looking thoughtful.
    "At the beginning," Harry suggested with a grin. Rachel frowned.
    "This isn't funny, Harry," she stated. "It's serious stuff."
    "Sorry," he mumbled, staring down at the blanked. Rachel cleared her throat.
    "Well, to begin with - my mother died when I was born. I have lived with my aunt all my life. I have two
    older brothers, twins, they were seventh years when we were first years... They were both in Slytherin."
    "Slytherin?" Harry asked cautiously.
    "Yes. Like I said before, I lived with my aunt, so I don't really know them that well since they lived with
    my father."
    "Why didn't you live with your father?" Harry asked curiously.
    "My aunt managed to get custody of me when I was a baby. My mother was the first witch in the family and
    the rest of her relatives were muggles. My father was a pure-blood; the two sides never got along well. He
    was a fanatic about blood lines, you know the type..." Harry's blood boiled as he thought of Draco Malfoy.
    "Anyway, my father was always talking about how important the family name was. I only ever saw him a few
    times, my muggle aunt didn't want to associate with him. Thought he was evil. Probably both of my brothers
    are too, most likely Death Eaters," she said without anger, slightly thoughtful. Harry looked at her in
    shock.
    "You... you're related to Death Eaters?" he asked weakly. She sighed, looking down.
    "Harry, this is why I didn't want to tell you. You're going to think of me differently now..."
    "No! No, Rachel, I won't, I promise. You should see who I'm related to on my mum's side, they're a load of
    gits." She laughed humorlessly.
    "I think this is a little worse, Harry. So both my brothers got put in Slytherin. I got put in Hufflepuff;
    how you're raised has so much more to do with who you are than your bloodlines." Harry nodded. "When my
    aunt took me in, she had legally adopted me to change my last name to Wheaton. She didn't want me to carry
    my father's last name."
    "Why not?" Harry asked without thinking.
    "She was afraid that when I got to Hogwarts, I would be shunned. And I would have been."
    "What is your father's last name?" he asked, fearing the answer.
    "Marvolo." The single word, spoken softly, hit Harry like a brick.
    "Tom Marvolo Riddle..." he whispered, his eyes wide. Rachel nodded sadly.
    "It was You-Know-Who's mother's maiden name... I'm related to him through his mum's side." Harry couldn't
    even think. He said the first thing that popped into his mind.
    "So... why is your father trying to contact you now? After all these years?" She smiled at him sadly.
    "I don't know. I refuse to read the letters. Trying to get me to join the Dark side, I suppose... I would
    be a perfect spy, the girlfriend of Harry Potter... I'm sure he knows all about that by now. With Malfoy,
    Crabbe, and Goyle most likely collecting information for their parents, I bet the Death Eaters are well
    aware of what goes on at Hogwarts."
    *************************
    "Mione, I'm bored," Ron whined as they sat in the common room that evening. Hermione peered over the top
    of her Transfiguration book.
    "Ron, aren't you worried about this project? We only have a week left!"
    "But Mione, it's Saturday night! It's the weekend! C'mon, let's do something fun," he persuaded. She rolled
    her eyes.
    "Fine," she said, giving in. "What did you want to do?"
    "How about a little late-night Hogsmeade trip?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye. "Go for a butterbeer, maybe?"
    "Oh, all right," she said, throwing her book to the side. Ron looked at her, shocked.
    "Hermione, you agreed! You just agreed to break the rules!" he said in a loud whisper that carried across the
    room.
    "Quiet, Ron, or I'll change my mind," she hissed. Nodding, he ran upstairs and grabbed his heavy cloak; it
    was November and it was often cold outside. He eyed Harry's trunk critically. _He won't mind if I borrow
    it, just for a while..._ he thought to himself, reaching inside and drawing out the translucent
    invisibility cloak. He rushed back downstairs, where Hermione was waiting, wearing her own winter cloak.
    "Let's go," he mumbled quietly, taking her arm and walking out of the portrait hole quickly so no one would
    notice their absence.
    ***************
    The cold wind drew a shiver from the circle of wizards, each dressed in a black cloak with a hood pulled over
    their eyes. They focused their attention on the center of the circle, where a man stood in blood red robes,
    one hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. He smiled at the group, a wide and evil smile that stretched his thin
    lips and lit up his demon-like fiery eyes.
    "So, my friends... you may be wondering why I have called you here tonight," he began. "My followers have been
    growing in number since my rise to power, and that trend has not ended. Tonight, we will induct into the
    society two new members." He gestured towards his right. "Please step forward, Armro and Audric Marvolo." A
    quiet gasp ran through the circle. Two dark figures stepped into the center of the circle, simultaneously pushing
    the hoods away from their faces. Their dark, haunting eyes contrasted greatly with their strawberry blonde hair.
    They bowed deeply.
    "We thank you, oh great one," they mumbled as they stood straight again. Voldemort smiled again.
    "The tradition of a Death Eater is one that dates back many, many years. You know, of course, the superiority of
    pure-bloods. Do you swear to uphold the honor of being a pure-blood?"
    "We do," they answered.
    "Do you swear to uphold the code of the Death Eaters, and to serve unwaveringly to the Dark Lord?"
    "We do," they answered.
    "Do you swear to give your life for the cause of the Death Eaters, if it is needed?"
    "We do," they answered.
    "Do you swear to obey the Dark Lord at all times and follow his every command?"
    "We do," they answered. Lord Voldemort smiled again and withdrew a small dagger from the inner folds of his cloak.
    Pulling back the sleeve of his cloak, he moved the dagger quickly over his own hand, unflinchingly. A few drops of blood
    glistened on his fingertip.
    "Do you accept the mark that will be placed upon you, identifying you forever as one of the Dark Lord's followers?"
    "We do," they answered. The Dark Lord took a step towards the men and they knelt, holding out their forearms. He
    held his finger over the top of the first man's arm, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto it. It hissed and the man
    shuddered involuntarily; the drop soon grew larger, turning into a perfect circle. A green skull and a snake glowed
    bright for a moment before falling dark again. He did the same to the second man. Lord Voldemort stepped back and the
    men bowed their heads once again.
    "Thank you, master," they mumbled, backing up and rejoining the circle. He eyed them thoughtfully.
    "With the participation level we have now, it is hard to determine who is truly devoted. The Dark Lord has chosen a
    special task for you, Armro and Audric Marvolo, to prove your obedience."
    "Yes, master, whatever you need," Armro said swiftly.
    "Whatever the task, we will complete it," Audric added.
    "Magnificent," Voldemort said, smiling evilly. "Your task is to locate a mud-blood girl from Hogwart's School of
    Witchcraft and Wizardry. But not just any girl. A friend, dear to Harry Potter's little heart," he said, cold
    laughter coming from the circle surrounding him. "Bring me Hermione Granger - dead or alive."
    **********************
    Scary stuff!! Voldie & the Death Eaters kind of freak me out, which just makes them more fun to write about... lol.
    If you've read this far - review, review, review!!! Please!
    


	28. Chapter 28


    **Chapter 28: Intrusion**
    Harry stumbled up the stairs into his dormitory after midnight after walking Rachel to her room. One of the benefits of being
    a prefect, he had realized, was that no one questioned his late-night wanderings through the hallways. Opening his door, he
    saw the curtains drawn around each of the other beds. Quietly, he crept in and went to his own bed, lying down and immediately
    falling asleep. He did not notice that Ron's bed next to him was empty; he just assumed that he too was asleep.
    *******************
    Ron and Hermione returned after a night on the town. They had enjoyed the evening, including butterbeer and a good dinner.
    They slipped through the dark night towards Honeyduke's to walk back through the passageway. They managed to enter the building
    silently and tip-toed towards the backroom. Hermione's heart was thumping loudly.
    "I don't like this, Ron," she whispered. "It's almost like we're breaking in."
    "Hermione, we're not going to steal anything! We're just going straight to the passageway. I don't know why you're so worried."
    he whispered back. She sighed, glancing around nervously even though they were underneath the invisibility cloak and no one
    could see them.
    "Something just feels wrong, I don't know how to explain it," she replied. Ron shrugged and they continued on in the house,
    reaching the room with the trapdoor. Ron lifted it and they both dropped silently into the hole. A single ray of moonlight
    crossed the opening in the ground. Ron brushed a stray strand of hair out of Hermione's face.
    "Mione, did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked. She blushed furiously. Their faces came together, their lips
    touching softly. Just then they heard a quiet clicking noise.
    "Ron, someone is awake! Hurry, shut the trapdoor!" Hermione hissed. Grabbing the invisibility cloak, they lowered the lid
    silently.
    "I wonder if-" Ron began quietly, but Hermione clamped her hand over his mouth.
    "We have to leave. RIGHT. NOW." She hissed. Nodding, even though she could not see him in the darkness, Ron grasped Hermione's
    hand and began to pull her towards Hogwarts. Once they had gone a short distance, Hermione stopped, fumbling in the dark.
    "Lumos," she whispered as her wand lit up. She held the light up to Ron's face and saw the worry etched in it. "I think we're
    okay, as long as no one sees us come back in." Ron nodded again.
    They both gasped as they heard a loud "creak!" come from the other end of the tunnel. They looked at one another, eyes wide
    in terror, the tiny light from Hermione's wand illuminating their faces.
    "Someone's opened the trapdoor. RUN!" Ron whispered frantically. They took off, at first with the invisibility cloak covering
    them, but soon with it trailing behind as they sprinted towards Hogwarts. At last they reached the statue of the witch and
    clambered out of the passageway, dirty and panting with exhaustion. Luckily, there were no teachers present because of the
    late hour. They ran all the way back to the Gryffindor common room, breathing heavily. Ron sat shakily on the floor as
    Hermione collapsed into an armchair.
    "What are we going to do?" Hermione asked, still whispering. Ron looked up at her, confused.
    "What do you mean, what are we going to do? We made it back, Hermione, we're fine!" he said simply. She gave him a furious
    look.
    "Ron, someone else knows about the passage - and I don't think it's the owners of Honeyduke's. Remember that noise we heard
    when we were leaving Honeyduke's? That weird clicking? What if that was someone trying to break in? What if they did, and
    they found the door-"
    "Hermione, that's so far-fetched. We probably imagined it, just because we were scared, I mean it was probably the owner of
    Honeyduke's going to get a glass of water or something!" She looked at him angrily.
    "Then who opened the trapdoor?" she asked coldly. "Did we imagine that too?"
    "Maybe someone was just opening a door in the house. How can you know for sure?" he asked uncertainly. Hermione glared at him.
    "Ron, you know what this means. Someone else knows about the passage! We have to tell Dumbledore!"
    "Tell Dumbledore?" he roared. "Then they'll close it up! We'll never be able to use it again! Harry would - "
    "Harry would what?" said a sleepy voice from across the room. Harry stood at the foot of the stairs, still wearing the robes
    he had worn that day but now they looked quite crumpled, as if he had slept in them. His dark hair was messier than usual and
    he was rubbing his eyes. "Can you two keep it down a little? I was trying to sleep."
    "Sorry mate," Ron growled. "It's just that Hermione's trying to get rid of all of our secrets by telling the teachers."
    "RONALD WEASLEY! I was doing no such thing! I am merely trying to keep the school safe, as we all should be, since we're
    PREFECTS!" She screamed. Harry looked at the two, mystified.
    "Someone explain," he said simply, sitting down in a chair next to Hermione. Ron sat down abruptly and crossed his arms.
    "YOU can explain, Hermione, since you apparently know everything," he told her.
    "Fine," she snapped. "I will." There was a moment of silence.
    "Well?" Harry asked uncertainly.
    "Well. First of all, Ron decided that we should sneak out of Hogwart's and go to Hogsmeade using the passageway to Honeyduke's.
    He nicked your invisibility cloak, Harry, without even asking."
    "That's not important to the story," Ron argued as Harry eyed him angrily. "Get to the important part!"
    "Are you telling the story or am I?" she asked coldy, not waiting for an answer before she resumed. "Upon our return, we had
    to go back through Honeyduke's. We heard a noise, a distinct clicking, that I thought sounded like someone trying to break
    in to the building, but Ron thinks was a person getting a glass of water." Ron snorted angrily, but Hermione did not pause to
    give him time to comment. "We quickly closed the trapdoor and walked about halfway through the tunnel. When I stopped to light
    my wand, we heard a noise that sounded like someone opening the trapdoor. According to Ron, I imagined that too," she said
    sarcastically. "I came to the conclusion that someone knows about the passageway and they could be using it to get into
    Hogwart's. Don't you think so too, Harry?" she finished, looking at him sternly.
    "Ah..." He couldn't think of anything to say. Ron stared at him with a concerned look on his face.
    "Harry, she thinks we should tell Dumbledore! It would ruin everything!" he cried. Harry shook his head.
    "I don't think that's a good idea, Hermione. Wait until we have some proof at least." Her eyes narrowed furiously.
    "What proof do you need? Are you going to wait until someone gets killed? ANYONE could be coming in through there!" she
    shrieked.
    "But Mione," Ron begged. "We don't know for sure, please, don't ruin this..."
    "I am so angry - with both of you!" she cried, stalking up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.
    "Mione!" Ron called pleadingly, racing up after her. The steps turned into a slide and he fell all the way back to the
    common room floor, sprawled across the ground. As tense as the situation was, Harry still had to fight back laughter at the
    sight of his best friend falling down the slide. He pulled himself into a sitting position and put his head in his hands.
    "Harry, what are we going to do? She can't tell!" he said desperately. "We'd all be in trouble." Harry sighed.
    "I know, Ron. We'll have to make sure she doesn't. For now, let's just go back to bed." Nodding, he stood up, wincing a bit
    from his fall, and followed Harry upstairs.
    *****************
    The next morning at breakfast, Hermione refused to talk to either of them. The walk to the Great Hall was silent except for
    Ron's insistent pleas.
    "Please, Hermione, you have to understand-" he tried once again. She turned on him.
    "Ron - I haven't told yet, if that's what you're wondering." Harry and Ron breathed a collective sigh of relief. "But I
    intend to before today is over."
    "But you can't, now really-"
    "Ron, I am done listening. Leave me alone." She sat down at the Gryffindor table and pulled out a book. Harry looked at Ron
    and shrugged.
    "Tough luck, mate," he mumbled. He looked up and saw Rachel; from the Hufflepuff table across the room, she spied him and
    came over immediately.
    "Hi Harry," she greeted him warmly. "I was wondering if you'd like to hang out for a while after breakfast?"
    "Sure," he said quickly, ignoring Ron's angry glare. "I'd love to. In fact, I'm done now," he said, staring down at his
    eggs and toast that looked quite unappetizing in comparison to Rachel. He stood up and walked off with her, leaving Ron
    alone to deal with an angry Hermione.
    ****************
    Harry followed Rachel through the hallways, not really noticing where they were going because he was so happy to be with her.
    He glanced up and realized they had passed the Hufflepuff common room.
    "Uh, Rach? Wasn't that the common room, right back there?" he asked, confused, as he pointed behind him.
    "Oh, I thought we'd go to the study room. There probably wouldn't be anyone in there right now," she explained. Now Harry
    was even more confused.
    "The what?" he asked.
    "The study room? Don't you guys have one too?" she said, gesturing towards a slim wooden door in front of them.
    She turned the handle and walked into the room; it was fully furnished with beautiful wooden tables and a few well-padded
    chairs. A small library of books encircled the room; the shelves took up the entire walls. Harry stared in awe. Rachel
    laughed. "I guess I'll take that as a no. Of course, all the other houses have so much natural talent, whereas Huffelpuffs
    have to work hard to get good grades, so maybe we just needed one," she hypothesized. Harry stopped staring and sat in a
    comfortable plush chair.
    "So, what did you want to do?" he asked, stealing another glance at the mysterious room. Rachel began rummaging through her
    backpack.
    "I have an idea! Let's look at pictures," she said excitedly, pulling out a plain-looking photo album. Harry moved his chair
    closer to the table so he could see. "This one's of me and my aunt... that was my first day of school." A tiny blonde girl,
    about six years old, waved happily in front of a yellow school bus. An older woman with straight black hair stood next to
    her, smiling. "This was my mother..." A young woman with dark, haunting eyes and black hair in a braid that fell down her
    back smiled happily as she clung to the arm of a haughty-looking man. His blonde hair and pale green eyes were stunningly
    similar to Rachel's.
    "Is that..." Harry asked, and Rachel nodded.
    "My father. Or biological one, at least. I haven't seen him in years." She flipped the page. "This picture was taken last
    summer, when my aunt and I went to Spain to visit my mother's family; this is almost all of my relatives," she said
    thoughtfully. People of all ages, most with dark hair and a dark complexion, smiled back at Harry. Rachel stood out as one
    of the only ones with light hair, although her skin tone almost matched theirs. She seemed to know what Harry was thinking.
    "Sadly, I inherited most of my father's features," she said, scowling. She flipped the page again, this time to a pair of
    very similar boys who looked to be about 13 years old. "My brothers," she said simply. "Armro and Audric." Something clicked
    in Harry's brain.
    "What did you say their names were again?" he asked thoughtfully. They reminded him of something, something he couldn't quite
    remember.
    "Armro and Audric. Stupid names, if you ask me. My father chose them both because they meant 'noble'. As in pure-blood," she
    said, rolling her eyes. Harry's sudden remembrance nearly knocked him off his chair.
    _"Tonight we will induct into the society two new members. Please step forward, Armro and Audric Marvolo."_
    "Armro and Audric Marvolo," he said to himself, in a state of shock. Rachel looked at him curiously.
    "Harry? Are you okay?" she asked. He shook his head.
    "I have dreams... well, usually I remember them really vividly, but this one I must have forgot, because it's just coming back
    to me now... Somehow those names reminded me of it." Suddenly it hit him with intense force: the circle, the dark cloaks,
    the two blonde men and how odd they looked in comparison to the hidden faces of the Death Eaters... the Death Eaters! It was
    an induction ceremony, he remembered the dagger, the blood, the dark haunting eyes of the two men that mirrored the eyes of
    Rachel's mother... He pulled the album back towards him to examine the photo. Even as children, their eyes were the same.
    He gasped at the similarities.
    "Harry, what's wrong?" Rachel cried, alarmed. He shook his head violently.
    "I can't tell you," he muttered. She grasped his hand firmly.
    "Why not?" she demanded.
    "I have... I have dreams..." he started. "Lots of times I can see what Voldemort is doing. Last night I saw your brothers
    there with him." Rachel looked at him as if he were insane.
    "You see You-Know-Who?" she asked, concerned. "Harry, don't you think you should tell someone?"
    "I have," he said. "No one really cares anymore, I have some connection to him because of the scar."
    "Oh," Rachel replied, slightly less puzzled. "So they are Death Eaters? What were they doing there?"
    "I don't really remember... It's so fuzzy," he said, unconsciously rubbing his scar. "There was a mission... and blood...
    and.... I don't remember," he finished lamely. "I don't know what the mission was. Something about a mud-blood."
    Rachel gasped. "Harry, you don't remember anything? Anything else at all? It could be something important."
    He shook his head painfully.
    "Not right now. And I don't really want to think about it."
    ************************
    


	29. Chapter 29


    **Chapter 29: Missing**
    After talking with Rachel for a while, Harry decided to head back to his own common room. He was wondering what had happened
    with the Hermione situation and was feeling slightly guilty for leaving Ron to deal with it alone. He reached the portrait that
    guarded the entrance to the room.
    "Sneakoscope," he mumbled listlessly, fearing what he would see inside. He entered the room and was surprised by its total
    silence. _Everyone must be in the library,_ he thought at first. Then he spied two figures in the far corner: Ron and
    Hermione sat side by side, looking in opposite directions and doing their homework. Harry sighed to himself. _I see they
    still aren't talking,_ he thought.
    "Hi guys," he said hesitantly as he approached them. Ron looked up mournfully.
    "Hey Harry," he said, erasing an answer on his Potions homework. Hermione only glared at him before returning to the book she
    was reading. "Do we have Quidditch practice again tomorrow?" he asked. Harry's stomach dropped. With all of the events going
    on lately, he had forgotten that in less than a week, Gryffindor would play its first Quidditch match. He nodded to Ron.
    "Yes, we've got to get ready to face Ravenclaw. I hear their keeper might have an injury - something about falling off his
    broom at practice. Hopefully that'll help," he said sullenly, sitting down on the other side of Ron. Hermione stared at him.
    "What?" he asked impatiently.
    "You! Wishing people would get hurt! That's terrible, Harry, honestly. I'm going upstairs," she said huffily, taking her books
    and marching away. Ron rolled his eyes.
    "She's been like this all day, mate. I just don't know what to do."
    "She hasn't told Dumbledore though, right?" Harry asked. Ron shook his head.
    "Not yet, but she says she's going to." Harry groaned.
    "We're gonna have detentions for the rest of our lives," he whined.
    An owl tapped suddenly on the window. Harry hurried over and untied the letter from its leg. It was addressed to him. Ripping
    the envelope open hurriedly, he read:
    Dear Harry,
    As I am sure you know, Voldemort and his supporters have been increasing
    their strength over the past few weeks. I strongly suggest that you
    restart your Occlumency lessons. I will be teaching you this year. Would
    you be available Wednesday night at 7 to start? Keep safe, Harry.
    -Professor Dumbledore
    Harry breathed a sigh of relief that Snape would no longer be teaching him. On the other hand, he had never slept worse in
    his life than last year when he had been taking Occlumency lessons; he hoped that with Dumbledore, it would be at least a
    little better.
    *********************
    Hermione wasn't at dinner. Ron was a nervous wreak, dropping his fork and knocking over his pumpkin juice every five minutes.
    After the third time Harry had to clean up the mess, he turned to Ron, exasperated.
    "Just go up there and talk to her! Why are you still down here, if you're that upset?" he asked. Ron frowned.
    "I can't get past the stairway anyways," he mumbled. Harry shook his head. Lavendar turned towards them, her eyes wide.
    "What did you do to her, Ron? She's been upstairs all day, with her bedcurtains drawn, crying in her bed!" she exclaimed.
    "I didn't DO anything!" he protested. Lavendar rolled her eyes.
    "Boys," she muttered.
    *********************
    The next morning at breakfast, Hermione still was not present. Ron and Harry sat at the Gryffindor table; almost no one from
    their year had come down yet.
    "Where is everybody?" Ron muttered, still angry about the Hermione incident. He now had no doubt that she had told Professor
    Dumbledore; he was simply awaiting his punishment.
    "There's Lavendar and Parvati," Harry said, pointing. Sighting their fellow Gryffindors, the girls rushed over.
    "Have you seen Hermione?" Lavendar asked, an odd expression on her face.
    "Er, no," Ron said shrugging. "She's been avoiding me for a while now." Lavendar frowned.
    "She must have gotten up really early, I peeked into her bed today and she wasn't there," she said. Ron shrugged.
    "Probably studying in the library or something," he said. Parvati nodded.
    "Yeah, that must be it," she said, a hint of relief in her voice. Harry heard a noise above his head and looked up to see
    the owls flying overhead with the mail. A brown plain-looking owl landed in front of him, carrying a Daily Prophet. It looked
    around frantically, apparently confused.
    "It's probably looking for Hermione," Ron suggested. Harry threw a few coins at the bird and it flew off, leaving the newspaper
    behind. Harry picked it up and nearly jumped out of his skin as he read the headline.
    "MYSTERIOUS BREAK-IN REPORTED AT HONEYDUKE'S"
    Worried, he read on.
    "Early yesterday morning, a mysterious break-in occured at Honeyduke's, a candy and treat shop located in the Wizarding town
    of Hogsmeade, near Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The shop keeper filed a report stating that a window was
    broken and some boxes in a storage room had been moved, but oddly, nothing was missing. The owners were puzzled as to why
    the robber would have left because they never had woken up. "Something must have scared him away before he could take anything,"
    owner Hallie Honeyduke said. "I never heard a sound." The Ministry is investigating the robbery at this time."
    "Harry, what're you reading?" Ron asked curiously, craning his neck to see. Wordlessly, Harry held up the front page. Ron's
    eyes grew wide. "She was right," he hissed. "They could be in here now!" he whispered, glancing around nervously. Harry nodded.
    "We've got to find Hermione," he said. Together, the boys grabbed their backpacks and left their half-eaten breakfast.
    "Where are you going?" Parvati asked, looking confused.
    "To find Hermione," Ron said simply, following Harry out the heavy doors.
    "Where do we go first?" Harry asked once they were safely outside.
    "Library," Ron grunted, and Harry hurried along behind him. "Maybe it was just a coincidence," Ron suggested hopefully. "I know
    loads of people who would love to rob that place!"
    "Ron, there was nothing missing. And the owners didn't even wake up! Don't you think if something scared away the robber, it
    would have woken the owners up too?" he asked. Ron didn't reply; his face just grew more pale.
    The two reached the library in record time. They entered quietly so they would not arouse suspicions from Madam Pince.
    "You look on the left side, I'll look on the right," Harry whispered. Ron nodded and went off. They met back in the middle.
    "Harry, this is really bad," Ron said anxiously, after neither had located Hermione. "Maybe we should just go tell Dumbledore
    right now," he added.
    "Either way, let's leave, before she eats us alive," he said, nodding towards Madam Pince who had risen and was walking in
    their direction. Quickly, the boys ran out of the library and up to Professor Dumbledore's office.
    "Twizzlers," Harry said breathlessly. Ron shook his head, bewildered.
    "When is someone going to explain to me what a twitzler is?" he complained, as Harry pulled him off of the platform by his
    arm. He pounded heavily on the door.
    "Come in," he heard a voice say. Pushing the door open, he saw Dumbledore sitting alone at his desk. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley,"
    he said simply. "What can I do for you?"
    "Hermione's missing!" they shouted together. Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
    "Missing? Well, I imagine she would still be on the school grounds-"
    "No!" Ron shouted. "Yesterday, we went to Hogsmeade, and when we came back-"
    "The secret tunnel-"
    "There was a break-in at Honeyduke's!"
    "-we heard this noise, like a creaking-"
    "-the trapdoor-"
    "-nothing was stolen!"
    "Please, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, calm down. Ron, why don't you tell the story," he said pointedly. Ron nodded, gulping.
    "Well, Hermione and I- well, actually it was my idea, but anyways, we went to Hogsmeade, through this secret passage that ends
    at Honeyduke's. When we came back in, we heard this noise and ran for it. When we were in the tunnel, we heard a noise which might
    have been someone opening the trapdoor to come in after us. We ran back. Hermione wanted to tell you, but we wouldn't let her. Then
    this morning, we saw in the Daily Prophet that someone had broken into Honeyduke's and not stolen anything. So basically, anyone
    could be in the school right now," he finished, gasping for breath. Dumbledore stood immediately. He walked across the room to
    Fawkes' cage.
    "Bring Minerva and Severus," he said simply, and the bird flew out of the room. He returned to his chair and sat with his hands
    folded, looking down. "My sources have informed me that Lord Voldemort is still working on a plan very similar to last year's. He
    still is attempting to lure in those closest to Harry in hopes that he will go to save them." He looked at Harry sharply. "You must
    not leave Hogwarts. You must not try to save Hermione." Ron's jaw dropped.
    "Are you saying she's been kidnapped by You-Know-Who?" he cried. Dumbledore sighed deeply.
    "That is my suspicion, Mr. Weasley," he replied heavily. Ron opened his mouth to reply, but the office door was flung open at that
    exact second.
    "Albus, what's wrong?" Professor McGonagall asked, panting. Professor Snape stood by her side, looking slightly resentful that he had
    been called into the office before 9 AM.
    "Hermione Granger has disappeared," Dumbledore answered simply. "There is a passageway from the school to Hogsmeade that is now
    open and most likely known to Voldemort's supporters. Severus, you know what to do," he said, as Professor Snape nodded deeply
    and strode out the office doors. He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I want you to follow these boys; have them show you where
    the passage is and make sure that it is sealed completely. I will alert the staff and we will search the entire school for Ms.
    Granger, though I am afraid she is no longer here. All students will gather in the Great Hall." Professor McGonagall nodded and
    walked out of the door, pulling Harry and Ron along with her.
    "I don't even want to KNOW how you two discovered this passage," she said, the worry evident in her voice and etched into her
    face. After this statement, however she said nothing else; she didn't have the energy to scold the boys, who looked just as
    upset about the situation as she was. After they showed her the entrance and she had sealed it, she escorted them back to
    the Great Hall. Harry and Ron could see the other prefects bringing in all of the Hogwart's students to the huge room.
    "Stay here and don't leave, especially you, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said severely, pushing them inside. They retreated to a
    corner; they could hear the nervous chatter of the student body. A few girls looked like they were about to cry. The situation
    reminded Harry of the time that Ron had seen Sirius Black inside the school and they had all come to the Great Hall. _At least
    then we had been able to sleep,_ he thought to himself. Now there was nothing to take his mind off of his concern for
    Hermione. _It's all my fault,_ he thought guiltily.
    "Harry," Ron whispered, his eyes wide. "Look over there." Harry followed Ron's gaze and saw what he was staring at. In the
    opposite corner, the wall seemed to ripple. The two boys stared at the wall curiously. After a few minutes, Harry could see
    what appeared to be a human form, except that it was the same color and texture as the wall behind it.
    "Ron - it's someone under the Disillusionment Charm!" he whispered frantically. "There are Death Eaters inside Hogwart's - and
    they're inside this room with us, right now!"
    *****************
    Hermione Granger awoke groggily; she found herself sitting in a high-backed chair, her hands bound behind her back. Once her
    eyes focused, she saw several Death Eaters standing in front of her, leering at her from beneath their black hoods.
    "Miss Granger," came an icy voice from behind her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "So nice of you to
    join us."
    *****************
    A cliffy??? Well, what were you expecting, lol. I promise to update again soon, so you won't have to be in suspense for long.
    Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers!
    


	30. Chapter 30


    **Chapter 30: Don't Give Up Hope**
    Harry and Ron stood transfixed, staring at the Disillusioned person standing against the wall across from them. Harry heard
    the doors of the Great Hall open and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the teachers begin to filter in from their unsuccessful
    search of the castle.
    "Professor McGonagall!" he cried. She turned to come towards him, but she was beaten by Professor Snape.
    "What is it now, Potter?" he snapped, striding across the Great Hall.
    "There's a person over there - against the wall - Disillusioned-" Harry stuttered, pointing at the wall. Professor Snape hurried
    over to the wall to examine it.
    "I see no one, Potter," he hissed quietly. "And I am quite tired of your little games. There are much more serious events going
    on right now, and all you can do is look for imaginary intruders?"
    "But-" Harry objected, faltering as he stared back at the wall. It was now blank and empty, as normal. Snape stalked off, joining
    a group of professors over in the far side of the Hall.
    ******************
    Hermione still had not been found. The security in the school had been heightened and prefects, professors, and ghosts
    patrolled the halls at all times. Professor Lupin was seen strengthening the shields that prohibited apparation and Professor
    McGonagall frequently was spotted walking past the statue that covered the passage to Hogsmeade, ensuring that the charms she
    had placed upon it had not been broken. Harry's prefect duties had been cancelled; because he was the assumed target of this
    sudden kidnapping, Dumbledore thought it was safer for him to stay inside of his dormitory or classrooms at all times. Ron had
    been assigned to follow him. Harry hated the thought of someone following him night and day, but tried to remain calm; he knew
    Ron had no choice in the matter.
    Harry and Ron were distraught over Hermione's disappearance, but there was nothing to do but follow Dumbledore's advice and
    stay out of trouble for the time being. Reluctantly, Harry admitted to himself that he could not save Hermione right now; he
    did not even know where she was. Dumbledore assured them both that he was working with the Ministry of Magic and had sent out
    many aurors to find her.
    Half-heartedly, Harry found himself facing the year's first Quidditch match. Dumbledore had refused to cancel the sport in
    fear that it would lower the students' spirits. Harry wasn't sure he could feel any worse, even if Quidditch had been cancelled.
    "Okay team, I think that's enough," Harry called out after only 45 minutes of flying. It was the week of the big game
    against Ravenclaw and the entire team had been flying poorly. No one's heart was in the game, especially Harry's. Ron had
    let in every shot that was made against him and the Quaffle had been dropped an uncountable number of times.
    "Just when we were getting good," Jack Sloper mumbled sarcastically as he walked off the field.
    "Well, Harry, you tried," Lavendar Brown said, sighing.
    "Don't worry, Harry, they're going to find her," Ginny said, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
    "I sure hope so, Gin. I sure hope so," he replied, staring up mournfully at the dark sky as the first few cold raindrops fell
    onto his face.
    *****************
    That evening, Harry walked slowly towards Professor Dumbledore's office for his first Occlumency lesson. He knocked quietly on
    the wooden door and was told to enter.
    "Harry, welcome," Dumbledore greeted him warmly as he entered.
    "Hello, Professor. Any news about Hermione?" he asked, not daring to hope. Professor Dumbledore removed his glasses and rubbed
    his hands tiredly over his face.
    "I'm afraid not. There are some leads, however. We're doing our best." Harry simply nodded. He was tired from practice and only
    wanted to get into bed. He knew from last year's experience that this was probably the worst time to practice Occlumency - when
    he was tired and weak. However, he hadn't wanted to disappoint Dumbledore, and as he stood in the office, he learned even more
    reasons why he should be there.
    "Harry, I'm afraid the situation with Miss Granger may put you at even more of a disadvantage. I don't want Voldemort breaking
    into your mind again. We don't want any repeats of, well, similar situations..." Harry cringed as he thought of last year.
    _Sirius,_ he thought, his heart breaking at the mere thought of his Godfather. He nodded towards Dumbledore, swallowing
    hard. "In any case, I want to hear about all of your dreams that have any connection to the Dark Lord. Not normal dreams, I
    think you know the kind." Harry nodded again. "Practicing Occlumency may weaken your mind for the time being, but in the future
    you will be grateful that you learned. Now, please stand right over here...." They placed themselves in opposite corners of
    the office. "First, Harry, I'm going to try to break into your mind, but I'm not going to seek a specific memory, do you
    understand? This should make your defense easier. Clear your mind." Harry closed his eyes tightly, imagining a white space.
    _There's nothing there... Everything is blank..._ he thought to himself.
    "Ready?" He heard Dumbledore ask. "On the count of three... one, two... three. _Legilimens!_"
    Harry kept his eyes tightly clenched shut. He could feel a presence trying to break in, but he kept pushing it out. _Stay
    away,_ he told it. _Give in,_ it replied. _It will be so much easier._ A sudden memory floated in front of his
    eyes: Rachel, leaning in to kiss him. _NO!_ he thought powerfully, pushing the memory away. Suddenly the sensation stopped.
    He opened his eyes.
    "That was amazing, Harry. I had no idea you were that talented. Let's try a specific memory now, shall we?" he asked. Harry
    agreed, and Dumbledore raised his wand again. Harry slipped his wand into his pocket; he didn't want to accidentally curse
    Dumbledore like he had done to Snape last year.
    "_Legilimens,_" Dumbledore said again. This time Harry wasn't quite as prepared, but still managed to gain control over his
    own mind again. He suddenly found himself remembering the dragons at the Tri-Wizard tournament during his fourth year. Clenching
    his hands into fists, he tried to block it from leaving his mind but failed. Dumbledore stopped.
    "Well, that will take a bit more practice. But really, you've done wonderfully so far. Just so you know, Harry, within the next
    few weeks I will begin to instruct you in Legilimency."
    "Legilimency? I'm going to be able to read people's minds?" He was amazed at the thought. Dumbledore chuckled.
    "In a manner of speaking. Be forewarned however, that Legilimency is much harder than Occlumency." Harry nodded before gathering
    his things and leaving. The lesson actually had not gone that badly, and it had taken his mind off Hermione for a short while.
    _Hermione,_ he thought to himself sorrowfully. _Where are you?_
    ********************
    Harry walked back from his lesson alone; Ron, for once, was not following him. _Must be in the common room,_ he thought,
    climbing in through the portrait hole. However, as he glanced around, it was apparent that Ron was not there. The noise level
    was considerably lower than normal; most likely because the fear of intruders had scared the younger students. Harry made his
    way over to a corner where Neville, Seamus, and Dean were playing a game of Exploding Snap.
    "Hey guys," he greeted them. "Seen Ron lately?" His question caused the group to go silent immediately.
    "He's upstairs," Neville began quietly. "He's really upset Harry, about the whole Hermione thing, I think. I don't know if you
    should go talk to him or just let him be alone for a while..."
    "Mate, he's been up there for a bloody hour now!" Seamus argued. "Go on, Harry, go up and have a chat with him. I'm tired of
    being down here, I'd like to go up to my own room!"
    "I'll go talk to him," Harry replied, standing up and walking towards the steps to the dormitories. He heard Dean mutter behind
    him in a soft voice, "I hope he's okay." Harry stood outside his own bedroom door and knocked quietly.
    "Ron? Are you in there?" he asked, his voice raised.
    "Leave me alone!" came an angry voice on the other side of the door.
    "Ron, please let me in. I know you're upset, I'm upset too," Harry pleaded. He heard the lock click and he cautiously opened
    the door. "Ron?" he said softly. Ron sat hunched on the floor, his face in his hands, tears streaming down and his breath
    ragged. Ron looked up at Harry hopelessly.
    "What if they never find her, Harry? What am I going to do?" he whispered, choking back a sob. "I miss her so much..." Tears
    stung Harry's eyes as he bit his lip to keep from crying, but it was too late. The tears were flowing freely anyway. He sat
    down next to Ron and placed his arm comfortingly around his friend's shoulders.
    "So do I, mate. But she'll come back. Don't give up hope."
    *******************
    For once, the Qidditch season passed without Harry even noticing. Gryffindor lost their first game against Ravenclaw; Cho had
    been smirking at him for weeks, but he didn't even seem to notice. Nothing was the same without Hermione. It seemed like all of
    the other houses had gotten over her disappearance and had moved on with their lives. Even most of the Gryffindors could be
    seen laughing and joking in the hallways. But life for Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had come to a stand-still. Not even Rachel's
    gentle voice could comfort Harry any longer.
    The Occlumency lessons continued. As Dumbledore had suggested, they did indeed weaken his mind, but not to the extent of last
    year. His worst dreams were of Hermione; they proved she was still alive, but in what state, Harry didn't even want to guess.
    He only told these dreams to Dumbledore; he was afraid of what would happen if he told Ron, who was getting more depressed with
    each passing day.
    Neither Harry nor Ron had decided to go home for the holidays; Harry of course had nowhere to go, and Ron still hoped that
    Hermione would show up and he wanted to be at Hogwart's when she did. Harry found himself one evening sitting in a chair
    facing the window in the common room, completely empty except for himself. Ron had gone to bed early, as had Harry, but yet
    another nightmare had disturbed his sleep. He had awoken panting for breath and drenched with sweat; in his dream, he had
    been Voldemort and he had been using the Cruatious curse on Hermione. Unable to fall asleep again, he had escaped to the
    common room where he sat alone, the cold window in front of him his only connection to the outside world.
    _Tomorrow's Christmas and I don't even care,_ he thought to himself, shaking his head. He couldn't remember a more
    dismal Christmas Eve, even when he was living with the Dursley's. At least then he had felt happy for the season; even with
    the spectacular snowfall in front of him, however, the Christmas spirit was missing.
    He stared outside at the snow which had begun to swirl; a blizzard was beginning, the storm
    had just started but it was getting more forceful every minute. Harry shivered with the chill of the room but didn't have the
    energy to get up and get a jacket or blanket. Instead, he realized the winter had become like his very mind, cold and uncaring
    about anything. He felt like he was an empty shell; he was the solitary snowflake being thrown again and again against the
    window. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass and stared down at the window pane outside. Three snowflakes fell into
    view, each similar but different in its own way. He smiled, thinking of how he, Ron, and Hermione had perfectly complimented
    one another's personalities. And now she was gone. It had been nearly a month since her disappearance, and the hope that she
    would be found was quickly draining from Harry's mind. He stared out the window again and thought about the coming day; tomorrow,
    the rest of the world would wake up and open their gifts, but Harry knew he wouldn't care even if he didn't get anything. All
    he wanted was for Hermione to be safe.
    Harry heard a sudden "pop!" and turned to see what it was. Dobby the house elf grinned up at him from under his many layers of
    hats that Hermione had knitted; on top of all this a sprig of mistletoe and some Christmas bells were perched precariously.
    "Hi Dobby," Harry greeted him wearily. "Do you have to work on Christmas Eve?"
    "Oh no, sir," Dobby replied, shaking his head. "Master Dumbledore is giving all of the house elves today and tomorrow off, sir!
    I is coming to see you, Harry Potter, because I is knowing you is still missing your friend. I is knowing you is lonely.
    You is wanting some hot cocoa, Mr. Potter?" he asked, offering him a steaming mug.
    "That sounds wonderful, Dobby. Thanks a lot," he answered, taking the cup. He raised it to his lips and drank; the wonderful
    chocolate taste reminded him of the first time he had met Remus Lupin on the train to Hogwart's. He smiled at Dobby.
    "Merry Christmas, Dobby," he said.
    "Merry Christmas to you too, Harry Potter," Dobby replied, disappearing. Harry finished his cocoa, still staring out the window.
    He drifted into a deep but fitful sleep, tossing and turning in the small armchair in the Gryffindor common room.
    ***************************
    Sorry it's so depressing! I promise, the next chapter will be happier. Thanks to my reviewers - you're awesome, as always.
    Contrary to popular belief, I don't enjoy torturing people, I just love having suspenseful endings! For those of you who hate
    cliffies - thanks for reading anyways!
    I've also noticed a lot of new readers!! Welcome! I hope you're enjoying the story!
    


	31. Chapter 31


    Thanks everyone for all your feedback!! In this chapter, the Hermione situation is resolved and we get to see Remus and Adele.
    Hopefully that makes everyone happy! Sorry things have kinda been one-track lately, I just got caught up in the plot. I'm trying
    to get everything back to normal - at least for the time being! Read and review, please!
    **Chapter 31: A New Start**
    Harry awoke the next morning feeling very uncomfortable; he had spent the night sleeping in a chair. Stretching, he noticed
    Ron sitting next to him, looking glum.
    "Morning," Harry greeted him tiredly. Ron looked at him, his eyes hollow and dead.
    "Merry Christmas," he said bitterly. He lay slumped back against the chair. "It's our fault, Harry. It's all our fault. She
    told us it was dangerous to leave that passageway open, and we did it anyway! I did it anyway! I did this to her, Harry."
    he said, tears welling in his eyes and threatening to fall. Harry struggled to get out of the chair and turned to Ron.
    "Ron, it's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault but Voldemort," he began earnestly. Ron hiccuped at the sound of the Dark
    Lord's name. "Please believe me. He's pulling us all apart and we can't just let that happen! We can't let Hermione go, we
    have to keep fighting!" Ron nodded tearfully.
    "I will, Harry. I promise," he vowed. Harry engulfed Ron in a brotherly hug and they stood together, sobbing, on the cold
    Christmas morning.
    The entrance to the common room opened and the two boys pulled away from each other immediately, wiping their eyes on their
    cloak sleeves and looking down, embarassed to have been discovered crying. Harry was the first to look up. His jaw dropped
    in shock.
    "Hermione," he breathed softly, his eyes wide in amazement. Ron's head snapped up and he too stared. Looking as sweet as an
    angel, she was bundled up in a parka, her frizzy hair spilling over onto her shoulders. Her cheeks were rosy from the outside
    wind and her eyes were gleaming.
    "Hermione?" Ron asked weakly. She grinned.
    "Ron! Harry!" she cried, throwing herself upon them. Ron and Hermione embraced, and Harry put his arms around both of them.
    All three of them fell to the floor crying. "This is the best Christmas ever," Hermione managed to say between sobs.
    Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Adele Fleur and Professors Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall stood quietly just inside the
    door, each of them smiling at the sight. Professor McGonagall had a tear in her eye, and even Snape looked pleasant for once.
    "Touching, don't you think, Mad-Eye?" Tonks asked, raising her eyebrow in expectance of his answer.
    "Hmph! Might not have even happened, with those damn Death Eaters fighting like that-"
    "Let's not think about that now. It did happen, Hermione's fine, and it's Christmas Day," Remus Lupin replied.
    "Exactly," Tonks replied. "Which is why I'm getting out of here and visiting my mother before I get skinned alive for not
    showing up on a holiday!" The crowd laughed and dispersed slowly.
    "Adele, if you didn't have any plans tonight, would you like to join me for dinner?" Remus asked.
    "Of course," she answered pleasantly, taking his arm and walking towards the stairway.
    ***********************
    Harry and Ron were in better spirits than they had been for over a month. Insisting that Hermione rest, they went downstairs
    to the feast by themselves and brought food up to her dormitory for them all to eat. Since it was Christmas break and nearly
    no other Gryiffindors were left in the tower, Harry and Ron managed to climb up the stairs-turned-slide to access the girls'
    dormitories, dragging the food along with them. They spread the food out across the room and had a picnic on the dormitory
    floor. A silence covered the room as the trio dug into the delicious meal.
    "So, what did I miss?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence. Harry shrugged.
    "Not much, really," he replied.
    "That bloody Potions exam we had to take last week! He probably won't even make you make it up," Ron grumbled. "I don't think
    I've ever failed a test that badly."
    "What! I'll have to make it up, otherwise how will I know the information for N.E.W.T.s?" Hermione asked anxiously. Ron laughed.
    "That's our Hermione, always eager to take a test, even when she doesn't have to..." They all laughed.
    "So how are you feeling, Hermione? What exactly did they do to you?" Ron asked awkwardly. Harry felt like slapping himself on
    the forehead. _Good going, Ron. I'm sure she'd love to talk about this,_ he thought angrily. But Hermione just shrugged.
    "I'm feeling fine. Really, they didn't do much but keep me in a room. They fed me and everything," she answered. Harry's head
    snapped up.
    "Do you mean he didn't, well, there wasn't any... You never got tortured?" he asked finally, extremely puzzled. Hermione's eyes
    widened and she shook her head.
    "Oh, no. They never hurt me at all. Why do you ask?" she queried, eyes narrowing. Harry gulped and glanced sideways at Ron.
    "Well, er... I had nightmares. About them torturing you," he said simply, refusing to go into any more detail. Hermione looked
    concerned, but Ron looked furious.
    "Nightmares? With Hermione in them? Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me, mate?" Ron asked angrily.
    "I... I didn't want you to get upset. I told Dumbledore, he didn't seem worried..." Harry trailed off.
    "Voldemort was probably trying to lure Harry to come looking for me! It's a good thing he didn't, he would have been killed
    the moment he stepped foot outside Hogwart's!" Hermione interjected, breaking up the fight. Ron started to protest, but
    Hermione interrupted. "I know you were concerned Ron, but it's probably better it worked out this way. And Harry - you've
    managed to not save two people this year. Good job!" The room exploded with laughter.
    *******************
    Adele Fleur walked down the hallway guided by Remus, her eyes closed.
    "Can I open them yet?" she asked impatiently. Remus chuckled.
    "In a moment," he replied, leading her through the doorway to his office.
    "How about now?" she asked again.
    "Okay," he agreed. She opened her eyes and gasped. Lupin's tiny office had been transformed; instead of the typical books and
    homework, the room was empty except for a small table set for two, covered in a white table cloth with a single candle burning
    brightly. Purple flowers filled every inch of the floor.
    "Lilacs," she whispered, crouching as she ran her hand across them. "Where did you find these, Rem? In December!" she exclaimed.
    "Do you like it?" he asked hopefully. Adele put a hand to her forehead, still recovering from the shock.
    "Remus... it's beautiful..."
    "So are you," he whispered, taking her hand and leading her to one of the two chairs. _I can't believe he remembered, after
    all these years... Lilacs are my favorite flowers,_ she thought to herself, amazed. Remus waved his wand and food appeared.
    The couple sat and ate the delicious meal, talking quietly. Halfway through, Remus stopped and smiled at Adele.
    "We're so much alike. I don't know how I've been able to pass these 15 years without you," he confessed. Adele smiled sadly.
    "If we didn't have each other, we'd both be alone on Christmas," she replied. Remus' eyes twinkled.
    "Speaking of Christmas..." he said. Adele arched her eyebrow.
    "Yes?" she asked.
    "I have a present for you," he replied.
    "Remus!" she said scoldingly. "You didn't have to, I don't have anything for you! I feel terrible."
    "No, don't!" he said earnestly. "Adele, I have something to tell you."
    "Okay," she said softly.
    "Well, let's put it this way," he began. "You're right about us both being alone if we didn't have each other. You are one of
    the few who has managed to overcome my... condition. I trust you more than anyone else." His voice had begun to crack but he
    tried desperately to steady it. "I know we're not kids anymore. I know what your destiny is, Adele, but we don't know how
    long it's going to take to fulfill it. No one knows what the future brings, but I know I want to spend mine with you." He cleared
    his throat. "I want to do something I should have done 15 years ago," he said, his voice wavering as he reached into his pocket
    and pulled out a silver box. He opened the box, exposing a plain yet beautiful diamond ring on a golden band. "Adele... will
    you marry me?"
    *****************
    Whew! Another cliffy, but hopefully a good one this time. Sorry if the last chappie was too depressing for you! This one's a
    little short, but I wanted to get it up ASAP. Hope you liked it!
    


	32. Chapter 32


    **Chapter 32: New Year's Eve**
    After Christmas, winter break began to wind down. Harry made his way wearily up to Professor Dumbledore's office for his next
    Occlumency lesson; he couldn't wait for it to be over so that he, Ron, and Hermione could all be together again. Hermione had
    returned to her home for the week following Christmas, but would be returning to Hogwart's that evening because it was
    New Year's Eve. Professor Dumbledore had set the Occlumency lesson early in the afternoon as a result of this. After giving
    the gargoyles guarding the office entrance the password, Harry wound his way up the spiral staircase and knocked on Professor
    Dumbledore's door.
    "Please come in," he heard, and entered. Professor Dumbledore stood in the middle of the room, smiling warmly at him. His
    brilliant blue robes fell nearly to the floor; they were spangled with stars. Harry looked sheepishly at his own now-worn
    black Hogwart's robes; he made a mental note to purchase new ones the next time he was in Hogsmeade.
    "We will begin momentarily, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded but was immediately caught off guard as he was shot
    with the Legilimens curse almost instantaneously. He tried to fight it off but ended up releasing a memory of a past Quidditch
    game. Harry opened his mouth to protest but he was cut off.
    "Constant vigilance, Potter!" he heard a voice bark behind him. Harry spun around.
    "Professor Moody?" he asked incredulously, seeing the man standing in the corner of the room, his electric blue eye spinning
    wildly. Alastor Moody shook his head in disgust.
    "Potter, you have to be paying attention at ALL TIMES! I could have had access to a much more important memory - your prophesy,
    perhaps!" he told him. Harry gulped and nodded silently. "And why are you still calling me Professor? I don't think I've ever
    taught you once. Moody, or Mad-Eye if you prefer, would be fine." His face twisted into a crooked smile. Harry tried to look
    pleased but failed.
    "Alastor, I believe I'll take it from here," Dumbledore told him, laying his hand on Moody's shoulder. He nodded and bid
    Professor Dumbledore good evening, walking briskly out the door, his wooden leg thumping on the ground. Dumbledore smiled
    benignly at Harry.
    "Sometimes, Alastor Moody can be a little overbearing," he told him. "But he is right about the prophesy. Now that you know
    about it, it is imperative that you learn Occlumency."
    "What was he doing in here, Professor?" Harry asked, still confused.
    "The Order is holding a New Year's party tonight. Alastor had just come to discuss it with me. I would like to extend an
    invitation to you, Ron, and Hermione, if you wish to attend."
    "Sure," Harry answered, grateful for a reason to leave Hogwart's; he had been there for ages, it seemed. He didn't think that
    Dumbledore's explanation of why Moody had been in his office was sufficient, but he was sure if he inquired about it further
    he would be told it was simply 'Order business'.
    "Shall we begin?" Dumbledore asked politely. Harry nodded, and the two took their places across the room from one another.
    "I will no longer inform you when or in what manner I am about to attack," he told Harry warningly. "Please be prepared for
    anything." Harry shut his eyes, clearing his mind as best he could. He opened them again and stared at Dumbledore across the
    room expectantly. "So Harry, how's your Christmas break been?" Dumbledore asked conversationally. Harry was confused.
    "Oh, er, well it's been fine since Hermione-"
    "_Legilimens!_" The curse shot through the air and Harry was not yet prepared for it. _He was trying to throw me off and
    I fell for it,_ he thought angrily. He fought hard against the impending force, not allowing it into his head, using all of
    his powers to keep it away. Finally, the relentless pushing of his mind stopped. Harry found himself gasping for breath and
    lying on the floor.
    "Excellent Harry, although from the effort you had to exert, I gather that you were not well prepared for the attack?" Dumbledore
    asked.
    "No," Harry mumbled. He got up and after a few more tries, he managed to block out most of the attacks. A half hour later,
    Dumbledore halted the lesson.
    "I am no longer going to attack your mind, Harry - you are now going to attack mine. Consider this your introduction to
    Legilimency," he said. Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "For the first attempt, I will make no effort to block you."
    Harry took out his wand and pointed it at Dumbledore.
    "_Legilimens!_ he cried, concentrating hard. Nothing happened. He lowered his wand, frustrated.
    "Try again, Harry, it just takes practice," Dumbledore said gently.
    "_Legilimens,_ Harry said again, forcefully but quietly. He felt an odd change and suddenly saw images begin to float
    past his eyes: a classroom full of giggling students, a meal in the Great Hall, a duel-
    He was abruptly thrown away from the memories with such a forcefulness that he hit the ground.
    "Sorry about that, Harry," Dumbledore said apologetically. "But that was getting a little too easy for you. Search for a
    specific memory this time, and I will try to block you." Nodding, Harry readied his wand.
    "_Legilimens,_ he said again, feeling the power of the curse as it escaped from his wand. He felt his own consciousness
    fighting against an opposing force, but somehow he managed to break it. Now he was inside. _What do I search for?_ he
    thought frantically. _A specific memory..._ The first thing that came to mind was not something he wanted to relieve,
    but he ended up doing so anyway. He was again inside the Ministry of Magic, but this time he could see himself sitting on the
    floor, surrounded by the magical statues while Dumbledore dueled with Lord Voldemort... a shiver ran down his spine and he
    stopped. Dumbledore's office came back into view.
    "Something wrong, Harry?" Dumbledore questioned carefully.
    "I don't particularly want to relive that," he mumbled. Dumbledore nodded.
    "Nor do I. You are dismissed, Mr. Potter. If you would like to join us for the party tonight, please meet at my office at 8:00.
    I have a feeling you'd like to be there," he said, his eyes twinkling. Harry nodded, a bit confused, before leaving the office
    and returning to the common room where Ron and Hermione were.
    "Anyone up for a New Year's celebration?" he asked them, falling into a chair.
    "Where at, mate?" Ron asked, engrossed in the chess game he was playing against himself.
    "Grimmauld Place. I guess the Order is having some kind of a party."
    "Oooh, let's go, it would be fun!" Hermione said excitedly.
    "Well then, that settles it," Ron replied, taking a rare glance up from his game. "When do we leave?"
    "Eight o'clock," Harry said, glancing at his watch.
    ********************
    A few hours later, the trio gathered in front of the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore appeared, wearing a heavy cloak and
    carrying a book. He touched his wand to it and it glowed blue for a moment before returning to its original brown.
    "Gather round," he told them. "It will activate in a moment..." Each of them laid a finger on its cover and within seconds
    they where whisked away, landing unevenly in the foyer of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
    Harry looked around the house, somewhat amazed. It was totally redone from the last time he had been inside; the picture of
    Mrs. Black had been removed somehow (there were deep scratches on the wall that signified it had been an intense struggle),
    the walls had been painted a bright and cheery peach tone, and music blared from inside the living room. Cautiously, the
    three teenagers made their way towards the source.
    "Wotcher, Harry!" a voice called out as he entered the room. Tonks stood in the middle of a small crowd, waving at him, her
    shockingly green hair spiked in all directions. "Welcome to the party!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him and grinning.
    He smiled back, noticing her swaying a bit on her high heels; he had to wonder if it had anything to do with the glass of
    wine in her hand.
    "Glad you all could make it," Kinglsey greeted them. Harry surveyed the room and was amazed at the number of people packed into
    the house. Witches and wizards were everywhere, talking, eating, and laughing. Harry's head buzzed with the noise of it all.
    "Oh! There's Lisa Turpin, from Arithmancy! I'll be right back," Hermione assured them, sweeping across the room toward a
    plain-looking brunette. Harry and Ron looked at one another and shrugged.
    "Now what?" Ron asked, bored.
    "I dunno..." Harry replied, shrugging. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt someone grab him from behind.
    "Harry! Where were you? I've been looking all over!" Rachel cried, grinning at him as she wrapped her arms around him and
    rested her head on his shoulder while still standing behind him. She frowned. "Are you okay? Your heart's beating like crazy..."
    "Yeah, I just got scared half to death when you did that, that's all," he said sarcastically, still gasping for breath. Ron
    laughed.
    "I think I'm going to go check out that table," Ron said, gesturing towards the enormous display of food with a twinkle in his
    eye. He hurried off.
    "Rach, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, still surprised by her sudden appearance. She shrugged.
    "My aunt and uncle joined the Order a few weeks ago. I was still home with them over break, so they decided to bring me along,"
    she replied, taking his hand as they retreated to the corner to sit in one of the sofas that had been pushed out of the way.
    "My Christmas break has been so boring! How was yours?"
    "Not bad, since we got Hermione back, everything's been fine."
    "Did you hear about-" A loud noise interrupted Rachel's question; someone was making a sound like a ringing bell at the front
    of the room.
    "Attention, attention! We have a very important announcement!" drawled a drunken Mundungus Fletcher. "Loopy, 'Dele, where the
    hell are you..." The room erupted in laughter. A very embarassed-looking Remus Lupin hurried to the front of the room, accompanied
    by Adele Fleur, her hair bobbing prettily as she tried to keep up with Remus. The room quieted quickly. Remus glanced around,
    seemingly nervous. Hermione and Ron appeared in front of Harry, emerging from the suddenly still crowd.
    "What's going on?" Hermione whispered.
    "No idea," Harry responded, staring intently at Remus, who smiled nervously before speaking.
    "Well, we'd just like to announce that Adele and I are engaged." Applause and whistles filled the room. Ron looked at Harry
    incredulously.
    "They're getting married?? But they're so...." he began.
    "So what?" Hermione snapped dangerously.
    "So.. umm.... in love?" Ron answered timidly. Hermione grinned.
    "I'm sure that's what you were going to say," she replied, rolling her eyes. Remus continued talking.
    "Our ceremony will take place in Diagon Alley, on February 14. You're all invited."
    "We're invited to the wedding!" Rachel cried. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait!"
    "Ron," Harry asked in a low voice, as Rachel and Hermione began to chat happily about the wedding. "What were you going to say?"
    Ron grinned sheepishly.
    "They're so old," he said, forgetting to lower his voice. Hermione spun around, her eyes narrowed angrily. Ron backed away
    quickly, muttering something about getting more punch and running toward the food table. The three remaining friends laughed.
    "He's well-trained, Hermione... knows not to cross you when you're mad..." Harry stated, causing even more laughter.
    "I better go find him," Hermione said, walking away. A rare slow song came on; most of the music had been loud and fast earlier,
    as the guests had been enjoying their release from work and school. Harry smiled at Rachel.
    "Would you like to dance?" he asked softly. She smiled back.
    "I'd love to," she said. They walked out towards the middle of the floor; Harry was slightly nervous, since he had never
    danced with Rachel before. They stood awkwardly together in the middle of the crowd of couples.
    "I really don't know how to do this," Rachel confessed.
    "Neither do I," Harry replied, and they laughed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she put her hands behind his neck as
    they began swaying slowly to the music. Staring into one another's eyes, they could only faintly hear the screaming crowd behind
    them.
    "FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO...ONE..."
    "Happy New Year's," Harry whispered moments before their lips touched.
    ************************
    Lord Voldemort stood inside a dark room, the only light inside a blue glow from some odd-looking candles in torches on the
    walls. He stared out of a window at the beautiful landscape below, the white snow covering virtually everything. He clasped
    his hands behind him, his back unnaturally straight. A deep growling sound came from his throat.
    "Twice, Potter... twice this year I've tried to lure you out from that Muggle-loving fool... but no, you refuse to come. You
    have learned something, for once... We can't have that happening. If you refuse to come to Lord Voldemort... then Lord Voldemort
    will come to you."
    **********************
    Another chapter up! I really don't think that counts as a cliffy, it's more like foreshadowing. Sorry if the whole Hermione
    situation wasn't explained well, I wasn't very inspired when I wrote that chappie, lol. And Harry really can't face off
    with Voldemort yet - that would mean the story would be over!! But anyways, thanks for reading! You guys (and girls!) are
    THE BEST!!! =)
    


	33. Chapter 33


    **Chapter 33: Betrayal**
    After New Year's, school started once again and the late-winter snow became slushy, the skies gray and gloomy, and the students'
    spirits dampened considerably. Homework was once again being piled upon them, and the weather outside only made it more
    depressing.
    The trio found themselves studying in the common room one dark and dreary evening. Ron and Harry were chatting about their
    latest Transfiguration project, but Hermione was keeping mostly to herself. Ron glanced over at her nervously.
    "D'ya think she'd be mad if I asked her for the answer to this one, Harry?" Ron whispered, pointing to the parchment he was
    holding. Harry shrugged.
    "She hasn't been really happy for the last few days, Ron, she might be in a bad mood..."
    "But how am I supposed to find out the answer then?" he whined. Harry sighed.
    "Fine then, mate, but if she snaps on you, it's not my responsibility," he said warningly. Ron shrugged innocently and proceeded
    across the room towards Hermione.
    "Hey 'Mione, I was wondering if you could help me out on this one," he began sweetly, smiling at her. She glared up at him.
    "Ronald Weasley, I will NOT do your homework for you! I'm sick and tired of you expecting me to do it just because you're lazy!
    Why are we even dating? Probably just because you needed someone to cheat off of!" she screamed across the room. Her words hung
    in the silent air, and she grabbed up all her books and rushed upstairs, tears in her eyes. Ron came back to Harry's side,
    stunned.
    "What the hell just happened?" he whispered.
    ********************
    The situation the next day was very tense between Ron and Hermione. They both refused to talk to one another; Ron thought that
    Hermione had overreacted, and Hermione thought that Ron was being insensitive. Harry was glad to escape that evening for his
    next Occlumency lesson with Professor Dumbledore.
    "Enter," he heard as he knocked on the door. Harry came in and made sure to check every corner of the room; he didn't want to
    be surprised again, like he had been the last time by Mad-Eye. Confident there was no one inside of the room besides himself and
    Professor Dumbledore, he took his place in his usual corner. Dumbledore stood across from him and raised his wand.
    "So, Mr. Potter, how have your classes been coming along?" he asked.
    "Pretty well... lots of homework," he answered warily, staring intently at Dumbledore's ready wand. He knew that Dumbledore was
    only trying to distract him. _Well, it won't work this time,_ he thought to himself defiantly.
    "Harry? Did you hear what I just said?" Dumbledore asked him, lowering his wand.
    "Oh, er, no sir, I'm sorry," Harry stammered. Dumbledore sighed.
    "It is, of course, important to be watchful of your opponent, Harry. But you must also be able to converse with him at the
    same time. If you are too focused on awaiting an attack, you will not have the element of surprise. You must maintain a balance
    between listening and focusing. Now, try again." Harry nodded, and Dumbledore again began asking him questions.
    "So what do you think of Professor Lupin's teaching this year?" he asked.
    "He's good, as always, I think having Adele back might have been a little distracting sometimes, but he still does a good job."
    "So what do you think of Adele?"
    "She's nice... I guess I don't know her that well..." Harry replied honestly.
    "Are you planning on attending the wedding?"
    "I'm sure I will, Rachel wanted to go-"
    "_Legilimens!_"
    Harry fought hard against the impending force. _Damn it, I wasn't paying much attention again..._ Still, he managed to
    fight off Dumbledore's attack. He stood in the middle of the floor, panting hard.
    "Good job, Harry, but again I'm not sure you were completely focused on preventing the attack... We'll try again." After a
    few more attacks on Harry's mind, Dumbledore stopped.
    "Now it's your turn to break into my mind. Again, you're going to focus on a specific memory. I suggest this afternoon's lunch,"
    he said pointedly. Harry knew this was a reference to the previous lesson; he, also, didn't want to see any more memories of
    Sirius. Lunch was definitely a safe memory. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he focused all of his energy on the
    specific memory.
    "_Legilimens,_ Harry breathed, his brain fighting powerfully against Dumbledore's. He managed, eventually, to break in.
    He quickly found the memory of lunch; apparently, it had been much more eventful that afternoon at the teacher's table than
    at the Gryffindor table. Professors Snape and McGonagall were in a heated argument, Professor Sprout spilled a glass of
    pumpkin juice across the table, Hagrid knocked over a plate of potatoes, and Professor Lupin flipped frantically through a
    stack of homework that he was grading. The memory suddenly stopped.
    "That was excellent, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "You have become very powerful, and this power is a gift. You must remember
    not to abuse it." Harry nodded.
    "Of course not, Professor," Harry assured him. Dumbledore smiled at Harry in a fatherly manner.
    "I'm proud of you, Harry. Not many wizards could stand up to this much. You are destined for great things." Harry didn't
    know what to say. He just smiled happily; he didn't remember anyone ever telling him they were proud of him. He had never
    had any parents to be proud of him, and the Dursley's were only ever ashamed of his so-called abnormailties.
    He left Dumbledore's office in high spirits, walking happily through the hallways, whistling to himself.
    "Harry, I've been looking all over for you," an anxious voice behind him said. He turned around. Rachel stood alone in the
    middle of the hallway, looking slightly angry.
    "Er, sorry Rach, I was talking to Dumbledore..." he replied. It wasn't really a lie, he thought, just a half-truth. Rachel
    frowned.
    "That seems to happen a lot," she said frostily. Harry's jaw dropped.
    "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked defensively.
    "Take it how you will," she replied, eyes narrowed. "You're never around anymore, Harry, and every Wednesday and Sunday night
    you're gone for hours at a time! Not even Ron and Hermione know where you are. Where are you, Harry?" she asked dangerously.
    _Shit... there's no way out of this..._ he thought frantically. "Rach... I really can't tell you. I'm sorry, and I would
    if I could. I promise though, it's nothing bad. Just something between Dumbledore and I," he replied, praying that she would
    accept his answer. Her expression softened a bit.
    "Okay," she said quietly. "Then I guess I'll see you around, huh?" She turned and walked off.
    "Now what am I going to do?" Harry moaned to himself, walking into his common room.
    "What's up, mate?" Ron asked him wearily as he looked up from an armchair.
    "Girls," Harry muttered. "Why do they have to be so bloody complicated?" Ron laughed bitterly, nodding.
    "You're right mate. They are all beyond me," he said. Harry collapsed into the chair next to him.
    "How about a game of chess?" he asked. Ron grinned.
    "You're on!"
    *******************
    Hermione still seemed to be acting moody and withdrawn, while Rachel was being cordial with Harry, but still treating him
    coldly most of the time. Remus and Adele's wedding was approaching, however, and all those invited could not help but be
    excited.
    "Harry, if we're going to the wedding together, we should match," Rachel informed him one day during dinner. Harry nearly
    choked on his food.
    "Er... match?" he asked.
    "Yes," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm going to be wearing a red dress, so you should probably have a red tie."
    "Er... I don't own a red tie, Rach," he replied.
    "Then buy one," she snapped, walking away. Harry sighed. This was just getting more and more complicated. He hated having
    Rachel so mad at him. _After the wedding, I'll plan something romantic,_ he thought to himself. _It will be Valentine's
    Day, after all._
    ********************
    February 14th came quickly. While most of the professors apparated to Diagon Alley, the students were forced to take the
    Knight Bus since they would not be given their apparation tests until the coming summer. With his past experiences on the
    Bus, Harry wasn't too keen with this idea, but gave in anyway; there were few other ways to get there. Harry, Rachel, Ron,
    Hermione, and a few other students who had relatives in the Order trudged out through the slushy snow to the front gates of
    Hogwart's. Harry threw out his right arm, and the Knight Bus appeared suddenly, its purple clashing greatly with the monotone
    colors of Hogsmeade. The group hastily boarded the train, the girls tiptoeing through the snow in their nice shoes. Harry sat
    next to Rachel on the Bus.
    "So, this should be nice," he remarked lamely. She simply nodded. _Conversation... THINK, Harry! Think!_ he told himself.
    "You look, er, really nice today, Rach," he said sincerely, blushing as he studied her pretty muggle dress; it was covered with
    red roses and it flared out a bit at the bottom, ending just below her knee.
    "Thanks," she replied, turning around and talking to the girl behind him and ignorning Harry completely. His blood boiled.
    _If she's going to ignore me forever, why are we still going out?_ he thought angrily. The Knight Bus lurched forward
    suddenly and threw him almost to the floor.
    "Diagon Alley!" Stan Shunpike called out. Grumbling, the group of Hogwart's students shuffled out of the Bus. Walking down
    the main street, they approached The Leaky Cauldron. Upon entering, they were amazed at the number of people milling around
    inside. Ron tapped a stranger on the shoulder.
    "Er... would you happen to know where the wedding is?" he asked awkwardly.
    "Just down there, three doors down on the left," he replied, pointing.
    "Thanks," Ron said gratefully, as the group followed him. Harry pushed open the oak doors and was immediately surprised - the
    room was filled with flowers, beautifully arranged, along with some not-so-amazing wooden folding chairs set up on the floor
    so that everyone could watch. The group took seats a few rows back from the altar and waited for the ceremony to begin. Rachel
    was still ignorning Harry and it was just making him even angrier.
    "Mate, are you okay?" Ron whispered to him. Harry shrugged.
    "Just peachy," he growled back. Ron immediately straightened and looked forward, not questioning him again. Luckily, the
    ceremony started soon afterward. First Remus came in; he was wearing what Harry thought must have been his first new set of
    robes in years. He walked quickly and looked nervous. Next, a little girl with blonde hair came skipping down the aisle, dropping
    rose petals all along the way. Adele came next, looking nervous but beautiful as well in her white wedding robes, her hair
    pulled into a french twist. It took Harry a moment to realize that Rachel was studying him intently. He smiled at her gently,
    and she returned the expression. _Maybe things aren't so bad,_ he told himself. They had both just been busy with work
    and he had been occupied with Occlumency lessons. _We can work it out,_ he thought. Remus and Adele were now holding hands
    and facing one another.
    "Do you, Remus Jonathan Lupin, take Adele Lunette Fleur to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
    "I do," Remus answered nervously.
    "Do you, Adele Lunette Fleur, take Remus Jonathan Lupin to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
    "I do," she said sincerely, smiling up at Remus.
    "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Harry thought it was a little odd to see one of his professors
    kissing someone, but he was glad that Remus was happy. His own love life didn't seem to be going quite that well...
    He looked over and saw that most of the girls were crying. _It is beautiful, in its own way,_ he thought, smiling to
    himself.
    *******************
    After the reception, Harry returned with Rachel to Hogwart's.
    "Did you want to go for a walk?" he asked her.
    "Sure," she replied, shrugging. She had been more pleasant to him since the wedding ceremony; it seemed to have touched both
    of them. Wandering slowly through the hallways, they soon came upon the Room of Requirements.
    "Let's go in here," Harry said, grinning. He walked back and forth in front of the door three times. Rachel opened the door
    and smiled.
    "Very nice," she commented approvingly. The room was dimly lit by some romantic candles, a huge roaring fireplace was off
    to one wall, and a squashy-looking sofa was positioned directly in front of it. They both sat down.
    "Rach, I just wanted to apologize for everything. I know things have been weird lately, I just wanted to tell you that I'm
    willing to work everything out if you are." She glanced up at him, tears in her eyes.
    "It's my fault too, Harry. I know you have other things going on. I just get so jealous when you're around Ron and Hermione
    all the time! Why don't you spend that much time with me??"
    "Er.. Rachel, I try... I'm just busy, you know?"
    "Busy doing what?" she asked coldly. "Harry, are you cheating on me?"
    "Am I - what?? Rach, I would never do that!"
    "I don't believe you," she replied bitterly.
    "You're the one who's been acting all weird! Maybe YOU are cheating on ME!"
    "And what if I am? It would be your own fault for ignorning me." Rachel's words hit him like a blow to the stomach.
    "Rachel.. you-you aren't, are you?" he asked, extremely unconfident.
    "No," she said, avoiding eye contact. _She's lying,_ he thought to himself angrily.
    "Look at me," Harry demanded. Rachel refused to raise her eyes. Harry stared angrily at her. "Are you telling the truth?" he
    questioned, his heart thumping loudly. "Rachel, answer me!" he demanded again. She finally looked up. He stared deep into her
    eyes and did what came naturally to him: a powerful surge seemed to go through his brain, and soon he was looking at a memory
    that was not his own. A dark-haired boy was facing Rachel, his hand on her shoulder.
    "No one would have to know," the boy was saying. Rachel shook her head.
    "Mike, I am not going to do this to Harry," Rachel said harshly to the boy. He pushed her forcefully against the wall and kissed
    her.
    Harry pulled himself out of the memory, feeling sick. He didn't want to see anymore. He turned to Rachel.
    "Why did you do that?" he asked quietly without expression. She looked at him, horrified.
    "How did you see my memory?" she asked him, her voice wavering. "What is wrong with you?" She got up from the sofa and attempted
    to leave, but Harry pulled her back.
    "I'm sorry Rach, I-I didn't mean to do that..." he stammered. She looked up at him angrily, tears streaming down her face.
    "You scare me sometimes, Harry. You're too powerful." _This power is a gift... you must remember not to abuse it..._ Harry
    remembered Dumbledore's speech last week. He felt guilty for having invaded Rachel's privacy, but at the same time angry that
    she had been kissing someone else. He tried to take several deep breaths to calm himself down.
    "How about this," he said evenly. "I'll explain how I did that, and you explain why I saw what I saw." Rachel nodded wordlessly.
    Harry cleared his throat. "Voldemort and I are connected through my scar. I can see what he sees or feel what he feels a lot of
    the time - especially when I am sleeping. Last year, I hardly slept at all because I kept having nightmares. Dumbledore thought
    it would help to teach me Occlumency so I could block him out. This year he started to teach me Legilimency also. I'm not sure
    why exactly, I guess he just thinks it'll come in handy when I eventually face Voldemort again..." Rachel sniffed loudly, dragging
    her sleeve across her face to wipe away tears. "That's where I am all the time. At Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore." Rachel
    stared at him, her eyes wide.
    "Harry, I'm so sorry," she began. "I really don't like Michael at all." _So that's who that was,_ he realized suddenly.
    _Michael Corner... the same one who had broken Ginny and Cho's hearts..._ "I was just really mad at you one night because
    you were gone, so I was talking to him, kind of flirting, you know? But I really didn't mean to take it any further, but he
    pushed me against the wall and kissed me... It's my fault, Harry, if I hadn't been flirting with him in the first place, he
    wouldn't have done that!"
    "What else did he do to you?" Harry asked quietly.
    "Nothing, just kissed me," she replied, covering her face with her hands.
    "It's okay, Rach," he whispered, running his fingers through her silky hair and he held her close. "I forgive you," he said.
    _That kid has it coming,_ he thought angrily to himself.
    **********************
    Oooh, possibly a little revenge is in order for future chapters! Thanks to all my awesome readers!
    


	34. Chapter 34


    **Chapter 34: Revenge**
    After the evening was over and he had walked Rachel back to her own common room, Harry returned to the Gryffindor dormitories.
    As he entered the common room, he noticed only a few students had not yet gone to bed; it was late and Saturday night, so
    they were either sleeping or had managed to sneak out to visit their friends. He saw Ron to the right and went over to him
    immediately.
    "Ron?" he asked uncertainly; he seemed to be leaning on the arm of the chair and was facing the wall. "Ron?" he said again.
    He let out a loud snore and awoke suddenly, falling out of the chair.
    "Huh?" he asked, dazed and confused as he looked around the room trying to find what had woken him up.
    "Earth to Ron," Harry said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
    "Oh, hey mate," he replied, bleary-eyed. "I should probably go upstairs, huh?" he added sheepishly.
    "Er - not yet, Ron. I wanted to talk to you about something." Harry said solemly. Ron seemed to wake up immediately.
    "What's wrong?" he asked, a sense of urgency in his voice. Harry sighed.
    "When I was hanging out with Rachel a while ago, we were talking about how she's been kind of weird lately. She thinks I was
    ignorning her. Well, it ends up that Michael Corner guy, you know the one..."
    "The one that dumped Ginny?" Ron asked, his eyes flashing dangerously.
    "Exactly. He's been trying to pressure her into cheating on me..."
    "What?" Ron cried. "That's insane!"
    "I know," Harry replied, looking down. He still felt guilty that Rachel had said he was ignorning her, even though he knew
    he had no control over the situation. He looked up to see Ron grinning.
    "What're you so happy about?" he asked, confused.
    "Mate," Ron began slowly, still smiling. "This calls for some serious revenge." Harry smiled.
    "So what's the plan?"
    ************************
    The next morning, Harry Potter slipped quietly into the kitchens before breakfast. House elves came rushing over to meet him.
    Dobby was in front of them all.
    "Harry Potter, sir, at your service!" he cried, bowing low. Harry smiled.
    "Dobby, could I, er, speak to you alone for a moment?" he asked. The other house elves quickly backed away and hurried back to
    their jobs.
    "I was wondering if you could do a really big favor for me," he began, taking a deep breath. "I was wondering if you could
    put this in someone's pumpkin juice?" he asked, holding up a small flask. Dobby's eyes grew large.
    "Harry Potter, sir, Dobby will do it... but leave at once, we isn't wanting to get into any trouble..." He grabbed the flask
    and began pushing Harry out the door. "And whose glass is Harry Potter wanting this in?" he asked.
    "Er- Michael Corner. He's in Ravenclaw," Harry muttered quietly. Dobby nodded before shoving Harry completely outside the door
    and slamming it shut. Harry wandered up to the Great Hall, hoping that everything would go okay. He saw Ron waving at him from
    the Gryffindor table and went to join him.
    "So?" Ron asked expectantly.
    "Step two is completed," Harry muttered. "Now we wait..." Ron grinned. Hermione entered the Great Hall and sat down tiredly
    next to Ron. He looked at her, concern in his eyes.
    "How are you feeling, 'Mione?" Ron asked gently. She looked up at him, rubbing her swollen eyes.
    "Okay," she mumbled, pulling out a book and immersing herself in it immediately. Ron turned to Harry and shrugged. A sudden
    loud commotion from across the room made the entire Gryffindor table look up.
    "HELP! HELP!" someone was shrieking. Someone from the Ravenclaw table. Grins slid across Ron and Harry's faced immediately but
    they quickly wiped them away to avoid looking guilty. People all through the Great Hall were craning their necks to see; the
    younger Creevy brother was standing on the table to try to get a better look. The students soon found this wasn't necessary
    as a huge figure began to appear over the heads of all of the other Ravenclaws. Michael Corner's body seemed nearly ten times
    its original size. People all around the Great Hall began talking and yelling, the noise increasing drastically inside the room.
    "Someone cursed him!" a frightened voice yelled.
    "Of course not," came a rational and more calm voice, probably from the Ravenclaw table. "It looks as though he's swallowed
    some Swelling Solution..."
    "He's going to explode!" a scared Hufflepuff cried. Secretly, Harry glanced over to the Hufflepuff table. Rachel had collapsed
    into a fit of giggles, as had some of the girls surrounding her. Michael was still swelling, his size increasing rapidly every
    few seconds. The hall was now ringing with laughter and gasps as it continued. Harry looked around; it seemed as if every person
    in the room had their eyes focused on Michael. _He deserves it,_ he thought, satisfied. Looking to his left, past Ron,
    however, he saw that Hermione was still completely focused on her book. _What's wrong with her?_ he thought, a little
    worried. Ginny sat across the table, giggling madly as she watched her ex-boyfriend.
    A disappointed "awww" rang through the room as Professor Snape hurried in with a Deflating Draught. Michael slowly began to
    shrink back to his old size. Snape turned around and glared at the students angrily; all noise ceased.
    "When, and I do mean when, I find out who did this... the consequences will be most unpleasant," he sneered, staring straight
    at Harry. It was all he could do to keep from grinning. It had worked, and they had no evidence against him. None whatsoever.
    ********************
    Harry was still experiencing a sort of high from the breakfast incident halfway through his day; he was startled from his
    thirtieth mental reliving of his sweet revenge by someone calling his name. He turned and was surprised to see Parvati
    Patil behind him.
    "Oh, hey Parvati," he said, confused about why she would be talking to him.
    "Hi Harry," she replied, a serious expression on her face. "I wanted to talk to you about something, and we don't have Defense
    Against the Dark Arts for another 30 minutes. Would you mind?"
    "Oh, er, that's fine," he agreed, confused about what she meant. Parvati simply nodded and pulled him into the nearest empty
    classroom. They both sat in desks and turned them so they were facing one another.
    "It's about Hermione," Parvati began, and Harry felt his heart sink. He knew, as did Ron, she had been acting weird, but there
    had just been so much going on that he hadn't given it much thought.
    "Yes?" he questioned, a bit uncomfortable.
    "Well, I'm sure you've noticed she hasn't been herself lately. She rarely sleeps, she's always moody, I was just wondering if
    you knew what was going on with her? I would have asked Ron but I didn't know if he would get upset," she said sincerely. Harry
    frowned.
    "I have no idea. She really blew up at Ron the other day, but she was acting weird before that, too."
    "So maybe she and Ron are just having problems?" Parvati asked, obviously relieved.
    "That could be it," Harry answered, trying to convince himself more than Parvati. _Of course,_ he thought. _They had a
    fight... they'll make up soon, and everything will be back to normal._ As he and Parvati left the room, however, he couldn't
    get rid of the nagging thought that Hermione had been like this since about a week after Christmas.
    ********************
    Thanks to my faithful readers! I love you all!!! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know it's not a very long chapter,
    but I wanted to post something - I know it's been a little longer than usual for this update, mostly because of the holiday.
    


	35. Chapter 35


    **Chapter 35: The Beginning of the End**
    As February gave way to March, the weather began to warm and the grass slowly turned back into its lush green instead of the
    brittle brown that it had been only months earlier. The sixth year students, however, were swamped with homework and trapped
    inside studying for their practice N.E.W.T. tests which would take place in April. Though it had been nearly two weeks, Ron
    and Hermione still weren't talking.
    "Mate, she hates me," Ron sighed one afternoon, collapsing into a chair next to Harry in the common room. Harry looked up. He
    had made up his mind about Hermione and he knew what they had to do.
    "We've got to go to Dumbledore, Ron," Harry said heavily. Ron looked up, confused.
    "What do you mean?" he asked.
    "Ron, you know what I mean. She's been acting too weird. And it all started after Christmas, when she came back from... well,
    you know..." Harry faltered. Ron shook his head.
    "I don't think that's it, Harry, I really don't. If she was under the Imperius Curse or something, we would know, she would be
    emotionless, not biting my head off all the time!" Ron retorted.
    "Then maybe it's not Imperius, but it's something," Harry answered darkly. Ron sighed.
    "I guess. If you really want to tell Dumbledore about it, then we will. Not tonight though, I'm too tired."
    "So am I," Harry answered, rubbing his eyes. "And we still have Herbology..." Ron groaned.
    "Come on guys," Neville Longbottom interrupted as he entered the room as well. "Herbology isn't so bad. Especially compared to
    Potions-"
    "Which we have tomorrow," Harry finished, groaning as well. Ron laughed.
    "You're all a bunch of nutters for taking that class, seriously," he said, shaking his head. "Well let's go, we don't want to
    be late to Neville's favorite class..." They all laughed, picking up their books and walking down the stairs.
    *************************
    Harry had been extremely busy with studying during the next few days, but two days after his conversation with Ron he still
    recognized that Hermione had not improved at all. He sat next to Ron at dinner; Ron hardly noticed Harry as he stared glumly
    across the table at his formerly outgoing and friendly girlfriend.
    "Tonight," Harry said under his breath, and Ron nodded sadly.
    "Oi, she's going to kill us when she finds out," Ron said warningly.
    "We have to," Harry said firmly. Ron just nodded; the tone of Harry's voice told him that there could be no argument.
    ***********************
    The two boys approached the Headmaster's office solemly after dinner. Ron gulped as they stood outside, staring at the gargoyles.
    "Twizzlers," Harry said quietly, and the entrance appeared.
    "Hey, you never told me what a twizzler is," Ron joked, trying to lighten the mood.
    "Muggle candy... it's a kind of licorice... red..." Harry mumbled, his mind focused on Hermione's problem.
    "I'll have to try it sometime," Ron said thoughtfully. _Of course, always thinking about food,_ Harry thought to himself,
    rolling his eyes. They reached the top of the spiral staircase and knocked on the office door.
    "Enter," they heard, and did so.
    "Hello, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter," Professor Dumbledore said, smiling warmly. "What can I do for you two?" Ron looked at Harry
    and nodded. Harry cleared his throat.
    "Well Professor, we were, er, worried about Hermione. She's been acting weird lately, like since she got back after Christmas."
    Harry rushed through the shortened version of the story quickly. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, raising his eyebrows.
    "And you say she's been like this since Christmas? Are you boys aware that it is now March?" he asked insistently.
    Harry and Ron stared at the ground shamefully.
    "Well, sir, we didn't really know what was wrong with her... I just thought she was mad at me..." Ron mumbled. Dumbledore simply
    nodded.
    "Well thank you for informing me. I will meet with Miss Granger very soon and we will discuss the situation," he said. Harry and
    Ron left the room feeling somewhat relieved that they had unshouldered their heavy burden upon someone who could possibly change
    the situation.
    *********************
    Classes dragged by the next day. Transfiguration seemed twice as long as usual; Harry was staring at the clock longingly. He had
    put away all of his things and was holding his backpack, zipped and ready to go. _Only two more minutes,_ he thought, still
    looking at the clock on the wall. _One more minute..._
    "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, please stay after class," Professor McGonagall spoke up as the rest of the class rose to leave the
    room. Harry felt his stomach drop uncomfortably. _Now what have I done?_ he asked himself, searching his mind for a reason.
    Professor McGonagall leaned forward on her desk, folding her hands. The room was empty except for the three of them.
    "You two are aware of the problems with Miss Granger. The Headmaster has asked to meet with you tonight in his office at 6 PM."
    she said. Harry and Ron exchanged a worried glance.
    "Do they know what's wrong yet, Professor?" Ron asked hopefully. Professor McGonagall shook her head, looking sad.
    "When you come tonight, there will be a group assembled there to attempt to uncover what exactly the problem is, Mr. Weasley,"
    she answered. "Please be prompt." The boys nodded and left.
    "Hope they can figure it out tonight," Ron said glumly as they walked down the hall. Harry was deep in thought.
    "Who exactly will be in this group?" he wondered aloud. Ron shook his head.
    "No clue, mate," he replied.
    ********************
    Harry and Ron arrived at Professor Dumbledore's office at precisely 6:00 that evening. The halls were deserted, as all of the
    other students were in the Great Hall for dinner. After knocking on the office door, they entered and were surprised to see that
    the room was nearly full. Witches and wizards were packed in along every wall, each with his or her own squashy red armchair.
    Hermione sat uncomfortably in the front of the room; it was evident that the others had already been here for quite some time.
    "Harry, Ron, come in," Dumbledore greeted them cheerily, although he looked quite tired. He conjured another two armchairs and
    they sat down. "I would like you to meet Fern Fawcett; she will be asking you some questions. Fern, please feel free to question
    them however you wish," Dumbledore said, looking at a middle-aged woman in the corner. Harry and Ron gulped. _Question us?_
    Harry thought, frightened. The woman smiled kindly.
    "Hello Harry, Ron," she said, her voice even and calm. "In order to more accurately diagnose Hermione, we wanted to understand
    what she is like on a day-to-day basis, and what better way to do that than to ask her friends?" Harry nodded nervously. She
    continued. "There is no need to be worried, this will be very simple. First off, when did you begin to notice Hermione acting
    strangely?"
    "Er... After Christmas. She was pretty normal when she first came back, but about a week later she started getting really
    withdrawn..." Ron looked nervous and was blushing at having to talk in front of so many people. Fern nodded and smiled
    encouragingly.
    "So she wasn't like this immediately?" she questioned.
    "No," Harry said. "It took a while, only a few days though..." The adults in the room were either furiously scribbling on
    notepads or murmuring in whispers to one another.
    "Ron, I think you might be a good person for this question. Do you know of anything that Hermione carries with her at all times?"
    Fern asked him. Ron sat silent for a moment in thought.
    "I... I can't think of anything," he said eventually, shrugging.
    "That's okay," Fern said. Now she along with everyone else was once again writing. Harry pulled at the neck of his robes
    uncomfortably. He knew the next question would be for him, and he was right.
    "Harry, you have been under the Imperius Curse before. Have you ever been suspicious that Hermione might be?"
    "No, she seems like she's acting of her own will. She's not emotionless, she just gets mad easier," he said gulping, as he took
    a quick glance toward Hermione. She was staring at the floor, looking lost.
    "Have either of you noticed her doing anything else unusual? Perhaps, suddenly knowing very advanced spells? Seemingly talking
    to herself? Carrying suspicious items around with her?" The questions were getting more and more demanding.
    "Er..." Ron stuttered, glancing at Harry for help.
    "I don't think we've noticed any of those things... just that she's been by herself a lot more..." At this, a general mumbling
    filled the room, and witches and wizards sitting around the edges began whispering again, some leaning over to see what others
    had written on their notepads. The woman named Fern leaned back in her chair and sighed.
    "Albus, this really seems to just be some sort of mental imbalance, I'm not sure why you would think it was magical in nature
    at all..." she said, seemingly frustrated.
    "Do you not find it somewhat unusual that it happened just after her kidnapping?" Dumbledore asked calmly. Fern rolled her
    eyes.
    "Perfect timing, if you ask me! Maybe she just wanted some attention, since they didn't even do any harm to her when they had
    her!" she cried, throwing her hands up in the air. Dumbledore stared at her, still calm, a tiny smile on his face.
    "Exactly, Mrs. Fawcett. Exactly. Why kidnap her without doing anything to her?" he asked, as if it were what Fern had intended
    to mean. She looked up at him, confused.
    "I'm sorry to say I can't read You-Know-Who's mind, Professor. If I could, I would be the best psychologist on earth," Fern
    retorted sarcastically. Dumbledore leaned forward, holding up his hands in a sign of silence; the wizards and witches around the
    room had begun gasping and chattering as they watched the argument.
    "Please, everyone, settle down. I'm not asking you to read his mind, but simply to look at the position he is in. He has been
    trying to lure Harry to him for years, that in itself is obvious-"
    "If we're quite sure that this isn't a problem involving magic, then I shall feel free to leave," Fern Fawcett said, standing
    up abruptly. The crowd gasped. Dumbledore simply held up his hand and gestured towards the door.
    "By all means," he said quietly. "No one is keeping you here, Fern." She stormed out angrily.
    "I have a question," an elderly wizard across the room said, leaning forward in his chair. "Before Miss Granger was-"
    CRASH!!
    Gasps echoed throughout the room as witches and wizards stood up, craning their necks to see what had caused the noise.
    "Harry, Ron, and Hermione, stay here," Dumbledore ordered. His gaze met a small group in the corner; Harry had not noticed
    that about 6 members of the Order were present as well. "Alastor, Kinglsey, stay here; the rest of you, feel free to come."
    The crowd filtered out the door, the questioning voices filling the air. Mad-Eye stood up and locked the door behind them.
    "You three, over here," he croaked, pointing to a corner.
    "What's going on?" Harry demanded.
    "Sorry Harry, no idea. I'm sure Dumbledore just wants to make sure you're safe," Kingsley Shaklebolt's voice boomed across the
    room. The echoing voices outside had died down; an eerie silence filled the room. Harry turned to face Ron; he looked just as
    worried as Harry felt. Hermione was staring at the ground and seemed more distant than she had ever been.
    "Mione, it's okay," Ron whispered, picking up her hand and stroking it gently. She didn't respond at all; instead she continued
    to stare downwards. Harry heard a quiet sob and realized she was crying.
    "Hermione, what's wrong? What is it?" Harry asked gently, lifting her face to look into her eyes. To Harry, they seemed oddly
    blank. An alarm went off in his head. _Something's wrong here..._ he thought to himself frantically, backing away.
    "Guys, what's wrong with Hermione-" Harry began, but quickly fell to the floor as pain wracked his body. His scar ached like
    it never had before; the intensity of the pain was shooting lightning bolts through his head, down his arms, into his legs...
    He cringed as he lay on the floor, struggling to breathe.
    "Harry!" Kingsley cried, kneeling on ground next to him. "What happened?"
    "He's here..." Harry muttered, unconsciously grabbing his forehead.
    "No he's not, Harry," Mad-Eye Moody said, checking the hallway and pulling a small device that looked like some type of dark
    detector out of his pocket. His weathered face contorted into a look of confusion. "Don't know what you're going on about, boy..."
    Hermione suddenly pulled away from Ron and into the center of the room as if someone was there - but the area was blank.
    "Hermione?" Ron asked weakly, looking fearful. Harry dragged himself off the floor to look at her. Gasping, he realized her
    eyes were still blank and emotionless.
    "She's under the Imperius Curse," he cried, too weak to stand up. Hermione's head turned towards him, but her eyes still seemed
    blank and unfocused.
    "_Crucio,_" she said flatly, her wand pointed at Harry. The pain he felt was almost equal to what he had experienced when
    his scar had hurt only moments before. It stopped suddenly, as both Kingsley and Mad-Eye tackled her from behind.
    "What the hell has gotten into you?" Mad-Eye roared, putting Hermione in a full body bind.
    "Take her to the hospital wing," Kinglsey said urgently. "There's something seriously wrong with her..." Mad-Eye conjured up
    a stretcher and floated Hermione's body down the stairs. Kingsley turned to Ron and Harry.
    "You two need to-" he stopped suddenly and fell to the ground. Harry and Ron faced one another, horrified.
    "What's going on?" Ron cried, fear present in his eyes. Now they were alone. The deafening silence didn't last long, however; it
    was soon punctured by loud several loud "crack!" noises as dark-cloaked figures appeared around the room. Ron looked stunned,
    but Harry just held his wand ready.
    "Y-you can't apparate inside Hogwart's," Ron mumbled, citing Hermione's favorite phrase from _Hogwart's, A History._
    "Ah, yes, Mr. Weasley. We've fixed that problem," said an icy voice from across the room. Harry spun around.
    "Voldemort," he breathed quietly, staring at the evil being in front of him.
    "Harry Potter," he responded, his voice dangerously quiet. "I believe your luck has just run out."
    ***************************
    Yes, that has to be one of the worst cliffies ever. I apologize!! But it's getting late and I can't fit this whole scene into
    one chapter! I will try to update again tomorrow if possible. Thanks for reading, everyone!
    


	36. Chapter 36


    A/N: Just a reminder to those of you who may have forgotten... Adele's prophecy is that she will die protecting Harry. Happy
    reading!!
    **Chapter 36: Defiance**
    Harry Potter and the Dark Lord stood silently in the room, glaring at one another. Harry felt as though the tension between
    them was so thick it was suffocating him. He raised himself slowly into a standing position, up off of the ground where he had
    fallen.
    "Are you afraid, Harry Potter?" Voldemort hissed dangerously, a smirk playing about his face as he twirled his wand in his hands.
    "Afraid that you will die? Or more afraid that it will be one of your little friends?" He laughed, pointing his wand at Ron.
    "Leave him alone!" Harry snarled. The Death Eaters chuckled loudly.
    "Ah, Potter, always out to save the day," Voldemort said softly. "Well, we'll see what happens this time. Everyone is gone, Potter,
    it's just us. No muggle-loving fools to save you today."
    Dumbledore's office door crashed open with a BANG! The Death Eaters, Voldemort, Harry, and Ron all whirled around to see who
    it was. Harry's heart jumped to his throat as he caught sight of Adele Fleur's face, set in a stubborn expression, her hair
    thrown haphazardly behind her shoulders.
    "Get away from them," she growled, the furious anger that only Remus had seen present in her eyes.
    "Ms. Fleur, so nice to see you again," Voldemort said pointedly, strolling across the room towards her. "As we already know
    exactly what your prophecy entails, I'm sure you won't mind making it come true?" Adele's eyes narrowed but she stood her
    ground. Voldemort pointed his wand at her. Harry glanced rapidly between the two of them, his mind moving at an amazing speed.
    _Adele is the only thing that's ever made Remus happy... I can't let her die, I have to save her!_ he thought frantically.
    Voldemort was still standing against one wall with his wand pointed at Adele. "Now you can go meet all of your friends," Voldemort
    was saying sarcastically. "That mudblood McKinnon girl, the Animagus Black, the filthy-blooded Potters... all dead. And now
    you shall join them. _Avada Kedavra!_" he shouted as a green streak of light shot out from his wand. Harry leapt in front
    of Adele's body.
    "No!" he cried, shielding her from the curse. He felt a sudden intense pain as it hit him in his upper arm instead of killing
    Adele. _I'm going to die,_ he thought suddenly to himself. _I never told Rachel goodbye._ But Harry soon realized
    he wasn't dying; the green beam of light was wrapping itself around his arm in a spiral, tighter and tighter. Voldemort was
    staring at Harry, his eyes wide and angry.
    "Foolish boy! You do not understand the web of prophecies! These events must happen in order. Now, move!" he cried. Several
    Death Eaters moved forward and pulled Harry aside, holding him so that he could not move. "Now she will die," Voldemort declared
    triumphantly. "_Avada Kedavra!_" The green light shot out once again, but this time it hit Adele square in the chest. She
    fell slowly, a look of shock still present on her face.
    "Adele! Nooooo!" A scream of terror came from the doorway and Harry managed to turn, within the Death Eaters' grasp, to see who
    it was. Remus Lupin stood just outside the office, his hands covering his mouth in horror. Harry felt as though he were going
    to be sick. _You let it happen... It's all your fault..._ a little voice chanted inside of his head.
    "What's going on up here?" said a nasally voice as a witch who had been in the room during Hermione's questioning entered the
    room. She screamed. "Come quick! It's him! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the office! AAHHHH!"
    "Silence her!" Voldemort commanded, and a Death Eater near the door threw a quick "_Silencio!_" The woman's mouth remained
    open but all sound ceased. Another Death Eater bound her arms behind her back with a flick of his wand. Harry could hear voices
    in the hallway. _They must have heard her screaming,_ he told himself, wishing with all his heart that it would be true.
    Voldemort seemed to realize this as well.
    "I have fulfilled one prophecy, and I fully intend to fulfill the next one," he hissed, eyeing Harry. He raised his wand.
    "_Avada Kedavra!_" Harry fell to the ground and rolled under Dumbledore's desk, narrowly avoiding the jet of green light
    that had flashed behind him. "Potter! I am tired of this!" Voldemort roared angrily. Harry gripped his wand tightly as he sat
    under the desk. He knew he only had a few seconds to decide what to do next, so he chose quickly, picking the first spell that
    came into his head.
    "_Legilimens!_" he screamed, standing up quickly with his wand pointed at Voldemort. Voldemort was completely unprepared
    and Harry was amazed at how easily his mind opened. Images came flashing by: a young boy alone in a courtyard, with other children
    playing off to one side. A young Tom Riddle as he opened an envelope just like the one Harry had opened a few months before,
    containing his O.W.L. results. A full-grown Voldemort as he stood over a tiny baby. Now Harry could feel pain, intense and
    throbbing, that was flashing through his body. _This must have been how he felt when he didn't have a body,_ Harry thought.
    The emotions and discomfort was getting to be too much for Harry; he pulled himself away from Voldemort's consciousness, swaying
    as he did so and holding onto the desk for support.
    Voldemort was apparently in much worse shape. He lay on the floor, moaning.
    "Master, master, what shall we do?" Death Eaters asked, surrounding him.
    "Get away from me," he hissed at them. Then he saw Harry escaping through the still-open office door. "Get the Potter boy!" he
    screamed. "Don't let him get away again, you fools!"
    Harry flew down the stairs, running as fast as he could, not waiting for the spiral staircase to lower him to the ground. He
    reached the first floor and turned left, hoping to run into someone, anyone... His wish was granted when he saw Mad-Eye Moody
    approaching, apparently returning from the Hospital Wing.
    "Voldemort... in Dumbledore's office..." Harry panted, exhausted. Mad-Eye pulled out his wand at once.
    "Where's Kingsley?" he asked, alarmed.
    "Dunno... what happened... fell down and didn't get back up..." Mad-Eye grabbed Harry's robes and pulled him along the hallway.
    "Potter, we're getting you out of here," he whispered, walking briskly towards the Great Hall. The group of witches and wizards
    that had been Dumbledore's office earlier were all assembled there, staring up at the ceiling, which Harry noticed was broken;
    it no longer showed the night sky, it WAS the night sky. A light rain was falling through an enormous hole over his head.
    Apparently, Voldemort had used this as a distraction to lure everyone out of the office. The group was chatting happily to themselves,
    unaware of the danger that was lurking close by. Mad-Eye leaned over to Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear. He stood
    up immediately.
    "Students are to stay inside of the Great Hall," Dumbledore commanded firmly. "No one is allowed to leave." He turned to the
    group of witches and wizards. "Voldemort has entered Hogwart's. If you wish to fight him off, follow me immediately." With a
    swish of his cloak, he walked rapidly out the door. A few wizards and all of the remaining Order members followed him. Harry
    was left in the Great Hall as the doors locked behind Dumbledore. He leaned his back against a wall, sliding down slowly and
    eventually sitting on the floor. _Adele died. She died, and it's all my fault..._ he thought mournfully. Students around
    him were talking and screaming and crying, but Harry didn't notice. He did, however, hear the tiny click that signified the
    doors of the Great Hall opening. A few Death Eaters slipped in, unnoticed by the majority of students. Harry raised his wand.
    "_Petrificus Totalus!_" he heard someone shout from the other side of the room. Amazed, he lowered his wand and saw
    Neville Longbottom on the other side, his wand still raised and ready. Parvati Patil rushed up beside him.
    "_Stupefy!_" she shouted, knocking out another Death Eater. Students were now screaming and running for the other side of
    the room, with the exception of former DA students, who were rushing forward to help.
    "_Tarantallegra!_" Luna Lovegood commanded loudly as a third Death Eater entered, his legs now dancing wildly.
    "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Hannah Abbot cried. Another Death Eater flew nearly out of the now-missing ceiling. No more entered,
    and Harry hurried forward.
    "Harry! Stop! Don't leave!" a voice called to him. Turning, his heart sank as he realized it was Rachel.
    "Rach, stay here," he said firmly.
    "Harry, don't get yourself hurt!" she cried, tears running down her face. He felt his heart breaking as he looked at her. All
    of the Great Hall's doors flew open with a sudden BANG! Voldemort appeared in the doorway, a furious anger present in his eyes.
    Harry gulped. His eyes rested upon Rachel, clinging to Harry's arm.
    "Blood traitor," he hissed, advancing upon them quickly. However, he fell suddenly as he was hit by a curse in the back.
    Neville had shot him with a quiet "_Expelliarmus_", and his wand flew up into the air. He snarled angrily as he turned,
    grabbing his wand, but then saw that the entire Order of the Phoenix, along with Dumbledore, was rushing through the doors.
    Voldemort glanced back at Harry.
    "Don't worry, Potter, I'll kill you soon enough," he hissed, disapparating with a swish of his cloak. Harry collapsed onto
    the ground, panting heavily, and his surroundings went black.
    ********************
    When Harry came to, he felt so drowzy it took him a few seconds to realize where he was.
    "...the poor dear, his arm looks dreadful..." Harry opened his eyes and saw Madame Pomfrey mixing some medicines on a table
    next to him. She turned around when she heard him stir. "Harry, dear, now don't move. Drink this," she said, immediately
    pouring a foul-tasting potion down his throat. He managed to swallow it before speaking.
    "Where's Dumbledore? What happened?" he asked weakly.
    "Oh, don't you worry about that, just rest now," she said, bustling out of the room. With intense effort, Harry managed to
    pull himself up in bed; glancing around the Hospital Wing, he realized there were many more people here than usual. Hermione
    lay asleep on a bed across from him; Ron was two beds over, silently reading a comic book; Kingsley lay a few beds away; Mad-Eye
    Moody was grumbling to Tonks near the entrance.
    "Always going on about being safe... hell, we're Aurors, what does that woman expect..." Harry held back laughter; he knew
    Mad-Eye was talking about Madame Pomfrey, and he had often felt the same way. Dumbledore entered the room quietly and began
    talking to the two Aurors. Tonks noticed that Harry was awake out of the corner of her eye and walked over to him.
    "Wotcher, Harry," she said, winking. "We weren't sure when you were going to wake up! And you were the best out of all of them,
    just exhaustion and your arm, according to Pomfrey..."
    "How long have I been out?" he asked, concerned. Tonks laughed.
    "Nearly three days," she answered.
    "Did anyone else get hurt?" Harry asked, craning his neck to see around the room. Tonks sighed.
    "Nope, just you guys. Well, and Adele..." Harry swallowed hard, nodding.
    "I remembered that," he murmured quietly, mostly to himself. He looked up again at Tonks. "Is Hermione going to be okay?"
    "She'll be fine. They even figured out what has been bothering her all this time-"
    "Nymphandora, the boy needs rest! Drink this," Madame Pomfrey demanded, pouring yet another foul tasting potion down his
    throat. Harry recognized it as a sleeping potion; within moments, he was once again in a deep and dreamless sleep.
    ***************************
    Whew! That seems like it took forever to write!! I realize not everything has been resolved, but it's coming, don't worry.
    Chapters might start taking a little longer than usual - this week is crazy and finals are coming up =( But I will still
    update whenever I can! Thanks to all of my fabulous readers!!!
    


	37. Chapter 37


    **Chapter 37: La Gema de Dominio**
    **********************
    **Cowards die many times before their deaths;
    The valiant never taste of death but once."
    -William Shakespeare, "Julius Caesar", Act II, Sc. 2, line 32**
    **********************
    When Harry awoke, the shadows in the Hospital Wing told him it was late in the day. He stretched uncomfortably; the hard
    hospital beds were not his favorite. He saw Remus Lupin talking quietly to Dumbledore on the other side of the room and lay
    in his bed silently, trying to pick up on their conversation.
    "...need some time alone, to find myself, you know? It's so hard...."
    "...tragedy haunts us all..."
    "...I should have known better... She was the one, and I knew it..."
    "...not your fault..."
    Harry concentrated intensely on their words, trying to follow the conversation, but he could not. Giving up, he sank back
    into the pillow and sighed. Dumbledore heard him and began to walk towards his bed, gesturing for Remus to follow.
    "How are you feeling, Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly. Remus gave him a weak smile but didn't say anything.
    "Loads better," he replied, glancing around the room. "How come everyone else is gone?"
    "Most of them didn't have severe enough injuries to be up here for too long. The exception would be Mr. Shaklebolt, who has
    been sent to St. Mungo's; apparently, he was knocked out a very powerful with a curse from a Death Eater in an invisibility
    cloak." Harry nodded. Dumbledore sat in a rickety plastic chair, pulling it up towards Harry's bed. "Did you want to talk about
    what happened?" he asked gently.
    "Er... I guess," Harry stammered. Remus shuffled uncomfortably.
    "I'll leave you two alone," he mumbled.
    "Remus, wait," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to stop him. "Will you be leaving now?" he asked, his words carrying a weight
    that Harry couldn't understand. Remus shook his head sadly.
    "I'll finish out the year, of course, I couldn't just leave you without a Defense teacher..." he replied slowly.
    "Where are you going?" Harry asked, alarmed.
    "I do not expect you to finish this year's classes, Remus. I am granting you a personal leave for the rest of the year."
    "Thank you," Remus mumbled, grateful. He looked at Harry. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then, Harry," he said, resting his
    hand on Harry's shoulder.
    "But - professor - where are you going?" he asked again. Remus smiled sadly.
    "Just Remus, please, as I'm not your professor any longer. I'm not sure where I'll go. I need a break - a break from life."
    "How long will you be gone?" Harry asked, struggling to sit up.
    "Don't know," Remus said thoughtfully. "However long it takes." He smiled at Harry. "Don't worry about me, Harry. I'll be fine."
    Harry nodded; he really didn't know if he believed that. "I won't say any farewells, that way you know I'll be back soon," he
    said, winking, though his eyes had lost their sparkle. He turned and walked out the Hospital Wing door. Harry looked at Professor
    Dumbledore speechlessly. Dumbledore sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.
    "Sometimes, Harry, life's obstacles can be hard to deal with. Some people give up - Peter Pettigrew, for instance." Harry
    shuddered at the sound of his name. "Instead of fighting for what he believed in, he took the easy path - easy, but wrong.
    Others run away - like Adele Fleur. She knew her fate, her destiny, but she couldn't face her future. Remus Lupin has lost
    so many loved ones, but he kept fighting. Right now, he just needs a break, a momentary escape from the pressures he knows
    he must deal with. He'll be back, Harry," he added softly. "He hasn't given up, and he won't run away."
    "I broke into Voldemort's mind," Harry said suddenly. Dumbledore's eyes widened. "I saw things - things from his childhood,
    no one was playing with him and he got bad results on his O.W.L.s and he failed.... he failed so many times..." he said, trailing
    off. "I guess I just never thought he was human," he added, softly. "Why does Remus take this? How can he have had so many
    disappointments and not end up hating everyone?"
    "Voldemort chose to deal with his failures with anger. Remus chooses to accept his quietly. Sometimes, he needs to get rid of
    his emotions that are bottled up inside, and I'm hoping that his leave of absence will do just that." Harry nodded. "Now, let's
    have a look at that arm of yours, Madame Pomfrey says it's dreadful..." Hurriedly, Harry pulled up his right sleeve; he had been
    asleep most of the time and had not even noticed. He gasped as he saw it. A scar, tinged slightly green, wound up his arm from
    elbow to shoulder in a spiralling pattern. At the top, a triangular shape could be seen - the head of a snake.
    "Why - what -" Harry stammered, staring at it in disbelief.
    "That's what I want to know," Dumbledore replied. "How did that happen?" Harry sat in silence for a moment while he thought about
    it. The memory hit him suddenly.
    "Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at Adele twice; the first time, it hit me instead, I was trying to protect her... It hit my
    arm. That must be what it's from," he said, still running his hand over the scar in amazement. Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully.
    "He has marked you once again, Harry. And once again you have shown him that you are more powerful than he is."
    "But I'm not!" Harry cried desperately. "I'm not more powerful, he is, I'll never be able to... kill him, or anything..."
    Dumbledore looked at him sadly.
    "You must believe in yourself, Harry. The final meeting between you and Lord Voldemort is coming quickly." He said goodbye
    and left the room with a swish of his cloak. Harry fell back into bed, confused. _How does he know when it's going to happen?_
    he asked himself stubbornly. The door of the Hospital Wing creaked open again.
    "Harry!" Rachel cried, running in and hugging him. "I've been coming in every day, but you were always asleep, we were so worried,
    I can't believe it..."
    "Everything's going to be okay," he mumbled, pulling her close to him and inhaling her sweet scent. "Rach - I want to talk to
    you about something," he said hesitantly. She pulled away.
    "What's wrong?" she asked immediately. He looked down, searching for the right words.
    "I know we've been through a lot together," he began. "It's been hard, but it was worth it. But by knowing me, you're at risk.
    By dating me, you could be killed. You'll be their next target. They are already mad that you didn't join their side-"
    "I don't care," she whispered. "I will be here for you. Always." Their faces pulled close together, but they were interrupted
    as the door swung open with a BANG!
    "Harry! Mate, you're alive!" Ron cried, running over to his bed. Hermione laughed, giving Harry a suspicious look that said
    "I know exactly what you were doing before we came in". Harry glanced away, a bit embarrassed.
    "How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, sitting on the other side of his bed.
    "Better," he replied quickly. "Hermione, Tonks told me before that they found out why... well, what was wrong..." he couldn't
    finish the sentence. Hermione folded her arms.
    "You tell me your secrets and I'll tell you mine," she replied, smiling a bit. "I didn't know you knew what your prophecy said!
    You never told us. I overheard Dumbledore talking about it yesterday," she said stubbornly. Harry sighed, looking up at Rachel,
    Ron, and Hermione surrounding him.
    "Okay," he said heavily. "Basically, it's this - either I will kill Voldemort, or he will kill me." Hermione and Rachel looked
    alarmed; Ron was shuddering at the mere mention of his name. "When the Killing Curse didn't hurt me as a baby, he 'marked me
    as his equal', according to the prophecy. If he kills me, there isn't anyone left that can destroy him. The whole world depends
    on me. I don't know if I can do it," he finished with whisper. Ron stared at him, mouth gaping.
    "Bloody hell," he whispered. Rachel let out a small sob.
    "Of course you can, Harry. You can do it. And we'll help you," Hermione said softly but firmly. Ron and Rachel nodded. Harry
    smiled, tears forming in his eyes.
    "Thanks guys," he whispered, as they all came together in a huge hug. Everyone pulled back; Ron wiped his eyes hastily, as
    did Harry. He cleared his throat. "Your turn, Hermione," he said as steadily as he could. She sat down on the edge of the
    bed and sighed.
    "Where do I begin..." she mused. "Well, we'll start with this." She touched a simple locket around her neck. Harry had noticed
    it years ago, but had never thought much of it. She wore it every day. "My grandparents gave it to me for my seventh birthday.
    I've worn it ever since. I don't know if you've ever heard of La Gema de Dominio..." Rachel gasped.
    "I have," she murmured. "I grew up in Spain. I always thought it was just a myth!" Ron looked at Harry; they were both confused.
    "What the heck is it?" Ron asked.
    "It's a tiny stone filled with dark magic. It allows the owner to control another human, but the stone must be kept in constant
    contact with the person they are controlling. It was discovered in southern Spain in the 1500's, but after its power was abused,
    a woman cast it into the Mediterranean Sea and it was never seen again. But somehow, Voldemort found it, and when he took me
    prisoner they put it inside my necklace... it must have been while I was asleep or something..." Hermione finished thoughtfully.
    "So you've been being controlled by him since Christmas?" Ron cried. "Why didn't he make you try to kill Harry or something?"
    "I suppose he didn't want to ruin his chances, Ron," Hermione replied, somewhat bitterly. "He wanted to make sure he got everything
    right this time." Ron shook his head in amazement.
    "What I don't understand," Harry said, speaking up suddenly, "is why he took you, Hermione. Why not someone else?" She smiled
    wryly.
    "No idea, Harry. But does he really need a reason?"
    "Oh, he had a reason," said a voice behind them. The group looked up suddenly to see Dumbledore standing behind them. "Maybe
    he knows something that you do not, Hermione." She sighed, looking slightly angry for not knowing something, for once. Dumbledore
    spoke up again. "Harry needs his rest. Everyone, out of the Hospital Wing, or Madame Pomfrey will be after me." They all
    laughed, slowly walking out the door, leaving Harry to his thoughts.
    *********************
    The rest of the school year passed quickly. Hermione was, of course, upset that her state had kept her from studying for the
    upcoming practice N.E.W.T. test, so she began reading twice as much as usual. Harry was studying as well, but aside from
    homework, he tried to keep his activities relaxed and low-key. He and Ron spent much of their time playing chess in the common
    room or simply talking. The ceiling in the Great Hall had been repaired by a number of middle-aged wizards in brown jumpers
    who arrived one day in white vans with gold lettering on the side, spelling out "Magical Mending: You break it, we'll fix it!"
    Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched the workers for a while before heading off to their final class of the day, Transfiguration.
    Professor McGonagall was in a surprisingly patient mood; she still had not gone off on Neville even after the fifth time his
    cactus turned into a owl instead of an ottoman. The bird screeched across the room and flew out the window as Neville sighed
    unhappily.
    "Class is dismissed," Professor McGonagall announced, and everyone grabbed their backpacks to rush out and begin the weekend.
    "What're we gonna do tonight?" Ron asked, as the trio walked down the hallway.
    "Dunno," Harry replied. "What do you think... Hermione? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as she stopped, her hand to her forehead.
    "I feel so weird all of a sudden," she mumbled. She walked off to the right and entered what Harry recognized as Moaning Myrtle's
    bathroom.
    "Come on, Ron," Harry said, pulling him in after Hermione.
    "Mate, it's a girls' lavatory! I'm not going in there!" he cried. Harry rolled his eyes.
    "We've been in there before, now hurry up before someone sees!" Finally giving up, he entered. Hermione was slumped against
    the wall.
    "Mione, what's wrong?" Ron asked, glancing around to make sure there was no one in the stalls. Moaning Myrtle was not even
    present; Harry guessed she must be in the Prefect's bathroom or had been flushed into the lake on accident. Suddenly Hermione
    looked up at Ron, her eyes wide but blank. "Bloody hell, he's controlling her again!" Ron exclaimed. Her mouth opened.
    _
    
    "He who can vanquish the Dark Lord has been marked as an equal again.
    The powers of both the light and the dark sides grow stronger, and soon one must conquer the other.
    The fate of the wizarding world will be decided when the web of prophecies is untangled.
    The cry of the Phoenix will identify the victor."
    
    _
    Hermione slumped against the wall again. Harry and Ron looked at one another in horror.
    "Mione?" Ron whispered. She stirred a bit, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief that she was still okay.
    "Hmm?" she mumbled as she opened her eyes. "What happened? Did I pass out or something?" she asked.
    "Hermione... I think you're a Seer," Harry replied quietly.
    *******************
    You guys have been SO GREAT with reviews!! I love it!! The school year is winding down, so obviously the story is coming to
    an end... *sob* I'm pretty sure I will do a 7th year sequel or something though. There is at least one chapter left. Thanks
    to everyone for reading!!
    


	38. Chapter 38


    **Chapter 38: A Conclusion**
    ********************
    "So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoiseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between,
    since it's the hardest to do anything with."
    -Margaret Atwood, _Happy Endings_
    *********************
    Hermione looked helplessly at Harry.
    "It isn't true," she said plainly. "How could I be a Seer? What are you talking about?"
    "Hermione, you just made a prophecy!" Ron said excitedly. "You said that both sides are growing stronger, and uh... something
    about other prophecies... and that the phoenix's cry will tell who wins the battle!" He finished triumphantly. Hermione looked
    at Harry, comprehension slowly dawning in her eyes.
    "But... no, I couldn't have!" she cried, obviously in denial. "Harry, that didn't happen, did it?" Silently, he nodded.
    "And just think, you were the one Trelawney said had no hope for Divination! And look at you now, you're a Seer!" Ron said.
    "This is preposterous," Hermione replied, standing up and brushing herself off. "Divination, who really believes that stuff
    anyway..."
    "Hermione, I saw Trelawney when she gave a real prophecy. It was exactly like that," Harry interrupted. She shook her head.
    "Why don't we go see Dumbledore about this. I really don't know what else to do." Harry and Ron nodded, walking out of the
    door with her. "I still feel dizzy," she mumbled. The boys held onto her arms for support as they walked towards the
    Headmaster's office.
    "Twizzler," the three of them chanted together, and the gargoyles leapt aside. They followed the spiral staircase upwards,
    coming to Dumbledore's office door. Harry shuddered involuntarily, thinking of the horrible memories he had of this room;
    just a few weeks before, he had been inside fighting off the Dark Lord. Luckily, he was disrupted from his thoughts as
    Dumbledore answered the door.
    "Welcome," he said smiling, as he ushured the group inside. "I was just about to go downstairs for dinner. What can I do for
    you?"
    "Well, Professor," Hermione began, eyeing Harry and Ron suspiciously.
    "Hermione's a Seer!" Ron interrupted excitedly.
    "She just predicted something a few minutes ago," Harry added. Hermione glared at them both.
    "Honestly, this prophecy stuff is quite ridiculous..." she said, crossing her arms. The Headmaster was grinning broadly.
    "Earlier, Harry, I believe you asked why Hermione was taken?" Harry nodded and his mouth dropped open as he realized he knew
    the answer to the question. Hermione, standing beside him, gasped loudly as she did also. Ron simply looked from one to the other,
    trying to figure out what was going on.
    "What?" he asked. "Why was Hermione taken?" Dumbledore smiled gently.
    "For those who are very powerful, it is often easy to see abilities in others that the common witch or wizard would not recognize.
    Lord Voldemort obviously saw that Hermione would be a Seer, and thought that having her around would come in handy - which it
    clearly would have, had she given the prophecy to him instead of to you and Harry," Dumbledore stated.
    "But... how would he know?" Ron asked, confused. Dumbledore simply smiled.
    "Mr. Weasley, not every question has an answer. Now, downstairs everyone, dinner's about to start and I'm starving. I hear we're
    having a delicious pudding for dessert..." The trio made their way down the stairs and to the Great Hall.
    ******************
    The next few days passed in a flurry of studying for the practice N.E.W.T. exams. Not surprisingly, Hermione had been hitting
    the books harder than anyone else in their year. Harry would study for a few hours, then take extended breaks with Ron, who
    was studying the least out of them all. He was suffering from Hermione's wrath as she constantly chastised him for slacking off.
    "Really, Hermione, they're _practice_ N.E.W.T.s. I'll study for the real thing!" he said one afternoon, for what seemed
    to Harry to be the millionth time. Hermione sighed angrily.
    "Ron, they are supposed to predict what you'll get on the real N.E.W.T. tests! If you don't try now, you'll have no idea how
    much learning you really need to do before next year!" she informed him, picking up a heavy-looking book called "Transfiguration:
    Foods into Fortresses". Ron grabbed the thick volume out of her hands.
    "'Foods into Fortresses?'" he said, laughing. "Who really needs this stuff? When's the last time you were enjoying your supper
    and suddenly decided you needed a castle?" Harry tried valiantly to hold back his laughter but failed. Hermione grabbed the
    book back huffily.
    "It covers any edible item and how to make it into a variety of protective shields," she countered. "If you two aren't going to
    study, then leave me in peace! The test is tomorrow, you know! I need to study!" Taking the hint, Ron and Harry left the library
    and headed out onto the Hogwart's grounds. There were a few other students outside, as the weather had become simply gorgeous,
    but no other sixth years. The two young men sat in the shade of an oak tree along the bank of the lake. Ron sighed as he lay
    on his back in the cool grass.
    "Harry, what do you want to be? You know, after you graduate?" Ron asked suddenly. Harry sighed, leaning back against the
    trunk of the tree.
    "I dunno... if I ever survive this Voldemort thing, you mean," he said sarcastically, as Ron laughed. "I would really like to
    be an Auror, I just don't know if I could pass the test. And if I didn't, after another two years of training..."
    "Of course you would pass the test," Ron said, dismissing Harry's doubts with a wave of his hand. "Blimey, even Hermione's admitted
    you're great at Defense Against the Dark Arts! I think you'd make a great Auror." Harry couldn't help but smile; he was happy
    that, even with everything that was happening, his friends still supported him and were thinking about a future beyond Hogwart's.
    "What about you, Ron? What'd you like to do?" he asked. Ron studied the leaves of the tree above him intently.
    "I think I'd fancy working in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I'm okay at school lessons, but not as good as you
    or Hermione. I know I'll probably end up working in the Ministry, so might as well make it fun. I don't want to end up in the
    Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office like my dad." They both laughed, but inside they were happy that they could dream of a future,
    a future that for Harry would involve a normal life - one without the threat of Voldemort.
    ******************
    From Harry's point of view, the practice N.E.W.T. tests the next day were awful. Just the idea of spending an entire day
    indoors when the sun was shining outside was enough to make him anxious. The sixth years spent hours filling out questions,
    ranging from "How do you identify a Romanian Longhorn dragon?" to "List the ingredients and measurements needed to create a
    Confusing Concoction." As the day wore on, students began to leave the room one by one as they finished their tests. Harry
    finished the last few questions, hoping he had done okay. He glanced across the room at Ron, who was slumped in his chair, his
    hand against his forehead and his eyes crinkled in concentration. He had to stifle a laugh at Ron's appearance, seeing how he
    hadn't worried a bit about studying beforehand. Harry rose and turned in his test before heading back upstairs to the Gryffindor
    common room. Hermione was already there, curled up in a chair reading a book.
    "Hermione, you just studied for weeks and spent an entire day taking a test! What are you reading again for?" he asked her,
    collapsing tiredly into the chair next to her.
    "Oh, I'm not studying. Just reading for the fun of it," she replied, turning the book so that Harry could read the cover,
    which said "Legends of Spain: Mystery, Secrets, and Myths in History".
    "Looks interesting," Harry lied. Hermione smiled.
    "I found it in the library yesterday. It's fascinating, they explain all about La Gema de Dominio." This reminded Harry of
    Rachel.
    "I'm gonna go see if anyone else is done with the test," he said, standing up. "I'll see you at dinner!"
    "Bye," Hermione mumbled, already engulfed in the book again. Harry walked through the hallways, eventually coming across the
    Hufflepuff common room. He had not been there for quite some time and had no idea what the password was, so he sat down on
    the cold brick floor and waited for someone else to open the door. Almost immediately, he saw Ernie Macmillan walking towards
    him.
    "Harry, that test was a bit difficult, eh?" he said, shaking his head. "I studied for weeks and I still didn't know every one!"
    "I know how you feel," Harry replied, standing as Ernie gave the password and the entrance swung open. They walked inside
    and Harry saw Rachel sitting in a chair in the common room, chatting with Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. "Hey Rach," he
    greeted her and sitting down across from her.
    "Oh hi, we were just talking about the Potions section. Dreadful, wasn't it?" Hannah commented, shaking her head. "I'm sure
    I got them all wrong..." Rachel shrugged.
    "Too late now," she said. "But at least it's over!" They heard a tapping at the window and everyone turned to see a small tawny
    owl carrying a letter. "Pancho!" Rachel cried, hurrying over to the window to let it inside. The owl flew to her shoulder.
    "He must have come now because we never really had a break earlier to get mail," Rachel mused, untying the letter. The owl,
    a tuft of feathers sticking out of his head oddly, perched on the arm of her chair. She opened the letter and Harry leaned
    over to read it over her shoulder. He was immediately surprised as he realized it was written all in Spanish.
    "Who's it from?" he asked, a bit confused.
    "My aunt Sofia," Rachel replied, still reading. Harry felt a little stupid that he had never considered the fact that Rachel,
    having lived in Spain for most of her life, was probably fluent in Spanish.
    "What does it say?" he asked her.
    "Oh, nothing much, she's just still worried about Death Eaters breaking in to Hogwart's, and asking how I think I did on the
    practice N.E.W.T.s," she replied. Harry nodded.
    "Well, I think I'm going to take a bit of a nap before dinner," he replied, standing up.
    "Okay," Rachel answered. "Don't oversleep though - no one wants to miss the leaving feast!" Harry walked slowly through the
    halls back to his own common room. _The leaving feast,_ he thought to himself. _It's our last night here, I really should
    be packing for tomorrow..._ In all honesty, he didn't want to leave. Just like every other year.
    ********************
    The feast that night was spectacular, as students, staff, and ghosts alike participated in the festivities. Although most
    students were happy to be on summer holiday, Harry was slightly depressed, as usual. As he left after the meal, Rachel rushed
    over to him.
    "Harry, I owled my aunt back after she sent me that letter, and I just got a reply - she wants you to come visit us in Spain
    over the summer!" Rachel said happily. Harry felt a dead weight in his stomach.
    "Wow, Rachel! That sounds fantastic," he said, his voice fakely happy. In reality, it made him quite nervous to be meeting the
    closest thing to his girlfriends' parents. Rachel seemed to sense his anxiety.
    "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll love you," she assured him. _I hope so,_ Harry thought to himself.
    *******************
    The train ride back to King's Cross seemed to take less time than ever before. The minutes flew by as Harry, accompanied by
    Ron, Hermione, Rachel, Neville, Ginny, and Luna all laughed and talked, crammed into one tiny compartment. The door slid open
    suddenly and everyone drew their wands, expecting Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's silhouettes to be filling the doorway. Parvati
    Patil gasped in horror.
    "Guys - it's just me!" she stuttered. Everyone laughed.
    "Sorry, Parvati, we thought it would be Malfoy," Harry said, still laughing.
    "That's not very nice," Lavendar Brown commented, joining the compartment as well.
    "I can't even move anymore!" Neville whined, struggling to sit up in the tiny space now crammed with passengers. Everyone
    laughed, and the Hogwart's Express screeched to a halt.
    "We're here," Ron said gloomily. Harry felt exactly the same way. The students gathered their luggage and left the train,
    saying their goodbyes. Hermione held Harry and Ron in a giant bear hug before kissing Ron on the cheek and promising him she'd
    see him later that summer. Harry turned to Rachel.
    "I'll talk to my aunt about you visiting, I'm sure you'll be able to," she said, glancing over to where the Dursleys were
    waiting impatiently for Harry. "I won't let you be stuck with the muggles for too long," she whispered, giggling.
    "Thanks," Harry replied, grinning. Rachel wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips; he felt his face burning
    with embarassment at this sudden public display of affection.
    "I'll see you later, Harry Potter," Rachel said, a sly grin on her face. Harry smiled as well, dragging his luggage towards
    the Dursleys' car. Hopefully this summer holiday would be better than the last.
    *******************
    THE END!! Thanks guys for all of your wonderful reviews. 


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